Europe’s new rocket
ESA’s Ariane 6 launch inaugurates a new era of autonomous European space transportation, taking Europe into space to realise its ambitions on the world stage. It lifts off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, carrying with it a variety of spacecraft. The first launch for Ariane 6 is with two boosters, known as Ariane 62, and in the short fairing version, making the rocket on the launchpad 56 m tall.
Ariane 6 will launch several satellites, deployers and experiments from space agencies, companies, research institutes, universities and young professionals on its first flight. This plethora of missions is being supplied by three types of organisations: commercial companies, space agencies and universities.
The Ariane 6 launch complex, ELA4, is newly developed and features a mobile structure to integrate the rocket, boosters and payloads, which then rolls away for launch. Hundreds of metres of tunnels protect wires for data connection, fuel pipes to bring propellant and gases to the launcher, and huge pipes for the water deluge system that is triggered at lift-off.
For further information, please download the press kit here: https://esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/STS/ariane-6_media-kit_english.pdf
| Event | Tps / H0 (min) |
| Equipped Solid Rocket ignition order | 00:00:00 |
| Lift-off | 00:00:00 |
| MACH 1 | 00:00:46 |
| Maximum dynamic pressure | 00:01:02 |
| ESR Separation Command (Boosters sep) | 00:02:16 |
| Fairing jettison | 00:03:39 |
| Vulcain extinction | 00:07:35 |
| LLPM separation | 00:07:41 |
| ULPM (Vinci 1) Ignition - Start of boost 1 | 00:07:50 |
| ULPM (Vinci 1) End of Vinci boost 1 | 00:18:32 |
| ULPM (Vinci 1) - Start of boost 2 | 00:56:20 |
| ULPM (Vinci 1) - End of boost 2 | 00:56:42 |
| Payload separation order start - 1st pyro order | 01:05:53 |
| Payload separation order start - 2nd pyro order | 01:05:56 |
| Payload separation order start - 3rd pyro order | 01:06:02 |
| ULPM (Vinci 1) - Start of boost 3 | 02:37:15 |
| ULPM (Vinci 1) - End of boost 3 | 02:37:43 |
| Capsules separation | 02:40:13 |
| ULPM re-entry orbit – Start of ballistic re-entry phase | 02:40:32 |
Full running order available here.
