On Tuesday 4 November, the Ariane 6 launcher successfully completed its mission with the launch of the Sentinel 1D satellite (see EUROPE 13746/22). This latest success marks the comeback of European launchers after several months of absence due to delays on Ariane 6 and problems on Vega-C.
“It is important to safeguard our security and independence” with launchers, Toni Tolker Nielsen of the European Space Agency reminded a group of journalists, including Agence Europe, invited to Kourou for the launch of Sentinel 1D with an Ariane 6.2 launcher. “Ariane 6 is a unique tool for Europe to guarantee sovereign access to space. This autonomous access means we can launch satellites any way we want, wherever and whenever we want, without prior authorisation, including for sensitive elements”, added David Cavaillolès, CEO of Arianespace.
The launch of Sentinel 1D was the fourth with Ariane 6 in 16 months. “It’s a remarkably fast ramp-up and, by all accounts, among the best ever recorded”, noted Caroline Arnoux, head of ArianeSpace’s Business Unit, on 30 October. “In terms of ramping up to four launches in 16 months, very few launch systems have managed to do this. Especially when they are all successful”, she added.
A final Ariane 6 launch is scheduled for this year, on 17 December, for two satellites in the European Galileo programme, according to one source. This will be the first time that satellites for Galileo have been launched with Ariane 6, and the first since the Space X launch in September 2024 (see EUROPE 13485/32). The two satellites arrived in French Guiana by plane from Luxembourg on Thursday 6 November. These two satellites, each weighing 730 kg, will be placed in orbit 23,000 km from the Earth.
“Our aim is to have five launches in less than 18 months, i.e. between the maiden flight in July 2024 and the end of 2025”, explained Caroline Arnoux. Next year will see the introduction of the first Ariane 6.4 (an Ariane 6 launcher with four boosters on board, compared with two for Ariane 6.2, making it possible to double the mass carried).
A number of Arianespace staff also told Agence Europe that the aim was to double this year’s launch rate and have around eight Ariane 6 launches next year. “Our aim is to achieve a production rate of 9 to 10 in a short space of time. At this rate, given the performance of Ariane 6, we can achieve a great deal. At the same time, we are seeing the emergence of projects such as Iris². So, if a higher frequency proves necessary and appropriate, we can discuss it”, explained David Cavaillolès.
He also urged Europe to favour its own launchers. “Some players are saying that we need more competition. [...] I have nothing against that, but we shouldn’t be naive. One advantage that the Americans, Chinese and Russians have is that their institutional markets are much larger. We can’t compete for American launches”, he explained. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)