Ibadan, 24 June 2024. – The Ariane 6 rocket has gone through its last full ‘wet dress rehearsal’ at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana ahead of its July 9 inaugural launch. Furthermore, data from the wet dress rehearsal is now under analysis with results to come on 26 June, confirming Ariane 6’s inaugural launch date.
The real flight model, its payloads, the launchpad and teams on the ground went through every step of launch operations; from pumping 180 tons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen into Ariane 6, the rollback of the mobile gantry, running all of the ground control software and more.
The rocket’s payload includes various experiments, satellites, payload deployers and reentry demonstrations. Flight engineers integrated the payload onto the ‘ballast’ at the end of May, and recently fitted the ballast onto the top of the rocket before closing the fairing around it. Some of the experiments include technology demonstrations testing wildlife tracking, 3D printing in open space, open-source software and hardware and science missions looking for the most energetic explosions in the universe.
Guy Pilchen, Ariane 6 launcher project manager, said, “The wet dress rehearsal is the very final milestone before launch. allowing teams to fine-tune the delicate operations required up until liftoff, using the real rocket’s actual flight hardware and software for the first time.”
Likewise, speaking on the rocket and its significance, Toni Tolker-Nielsen, ESA’s Director of Space Transportation, said ESA designed and developed Ariane 6 “to secure Europe’s independent access to space. With the first launch of this new heavy-lift rocket, Europe is back in space. Space activities are becoming an integral part of any modern economy, Ariane 6 will ensure Europe is not missing out and will serve its exploration and scientific missions.”
