Space travel Minor incident: Ariane 6 first flight ends unscheduled

The first flight of the new European launcher Ariane 6 did not end as planned. Nevertheless, those involved consider the flight a clear success.

An auxiliary drive in the upper stage initially ignited, but then stopped, as the head of the rocket manufacturer Arianegroup, Martin Sion, said. "We have an incident that we do not yet understand" - namely why the auxiliary drive stopped. "But the rest of the mission went according to plan."

The plan was for the rocket to launch 17 payloads into space on its maiden flight. At the end, the upper stage was supposed to burn up on the way back to Earth. Because the auxiliary drive stopped, the upper stage's Vinci engine did not ignite again to send out the last two technical passengers. They will now remain in the upper stage, which will remain in space.

Test phase to gather information

Sion explained that the flight initially involved the launch phase, during which several satellites were delivered. "Everything went perfectly." This was followed by a demonstration phase to see how the upper stage of the rocket behaves in so-called microgravity, a state in which the force of gravity is absent or extremely weak.

The head of the rocket manufacturer commented on the incident: "This is unfortunate, but it is also the reason why we are carrying out a technical demonstration, because there are things that we cannot test on the ground." The test phase at the end of the first flight was intended to gather as much information as possible.

Information at a later date

The necessary data to shed more light on the incident is not yet available. As soon as it is clear what exactly happened, the general public will be informed, Sion assured.

Ariane 6 is the successor to Ariane 5, which was in operation from 1996 until summer 2023. It is designed to launch satellites into space for commercial and public clients and is significantly cheaper than its predecessor.

The 56-metre-high, 540-tonne rocket is also flying thanks to Switzerland. Switzerland is one of 13 countries involved in the Ariane program. Swiss companies also built the payload fairing, which serves to protect the satellites, and the boosters. The boosters are the tubes that are attached to the side of the rocket. The rocket needs them to lift off from the ground.