The European launcher Ariane 6 is paying a high price for the Covid-19 pandemic, which is slowing down the construction of the launch pad in French Guyana and, to a lesser extent, the carrying out of validation tests. The first flight of Ariane 6 is therefore now due to take place in the second half of 2021, said André-Hubert Roussel, CEO of ArianeGroup, on Thursday, 9 July.
“Before the Covid pandemic, we were super charged for a flight late in 2020. But we still believed, we still fought on. But it will no longer be possible because of the 2, 3 months delay we have experienced” due to the pandemic, Mr Roussel explained to EUROPE. He pointed out that the launch pad at Lampoldshausen in Germany to test the Ariane engines was definitely ready, but the launch pad in Guyana, which was built by the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES) was not.
As for the tests of the launcher's various engines, he said that “development was progressing well”. The main stage Vulcain 2.1 engine has undergone qualification testing, as well as the upper stage Vinci engine. All that remains is the solid propulsion engine, which is scheduled for testing at the end of July. This will be followed by further tests, in particular testing of the Vinci engine with the complete upper stage, to simulate its activity once in orbit, and finally the “combined testing” once the entire launcher is assembled on its launch pad in Guyana.
In general terms, the pandemic has also hit the ArianeGroup. Looking at all its activities (both civil and defence), the group is set to record a possible loss of 20% of its turnover due to the pandemic, according to the CEO, who also pointed out that in 2019, his group had a turnover of 3.1 billion euros.
European budget. When asked about the negotiations over the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 (see EUROPE 12498/16), Mr Roussel insisted that the EU space budget should not be “scaled down” and that it should especially safeguard Galileo, whose launches have benefited from the principle of European preference. He also made reference to the extent to which the European sector was suffering from a lack of public procurement.
The CEO was also asked about whether there is a need for Europe to adopt a ‘Buy European Act’ (which would force public procurement of goods produced in Europe), similar the one that exists on the other side of the Atlantic, to which he replied in the affirmative: “There is no space power in the world that entrusts sovereign launches to foreign launchers”, he said. “There is a European awareness” of the need to consider space policy as a constituent element of European sovereignty, he noted.
Eurospace. As the recently elected head of Eurospace, (see EUROPE 12513/32), Mr Roussel has set himself the following priorities: - to guarantee freedom of access to space via a space traffic management framework; - to support the project for a European satellite constellation to ensure secure communications; - space transportation and “why not human spaceflight?”. “This is one of the questions that Europe must ask itself”, he said. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)