Here’s what Thales Alenia Space will do for the Ariane 6 launcher
On the occasion of the Paris Air Show, Thales Alenia Space signed a contract with ArianeGroup for the production of the Ariane 6 telemetry transmitter. The contract will cover the first 15 launches of the new rocket within a 30-year program
New contract for Thales Alenia Space for Ariane 6, the new European heavy launch vehicle .
On the occasion of the Paris Air Show, the joint venture of Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%) signed a contract with ArianeGroup for the production of the Ariane 6 telemetry transmitter.
The contract, according to a statement , will initially cover the first 15 launches of a program that is expected to extend over a period of 30 years. Thales Alenia Space will supply 30 devices by autumn 2025, allowing ArianeGroup to prepare for the operational ramp-up.
This contract follows the previous development contract signed for Ariane 6. In fact, last September the company signed a contract with ArianeGroup for the production of the safety control system for the new launcher: it will have the task of neutralizing it if an incorrect trajectory endangers people and things.
Ariane 6 is a program of the European Space Agency (ESA) aimed at allowing Europe to maintain a leading role in the launcher segment. It will replace the current heavy-lift Ariane 5 and extend its capacity range to medium lift, in two versions. Ariane 62, equipped with two strap-on thrusters (boosters), and Ariane 64, equipped with four boosters, with a double launch capability (two satellites simultaneously).
After the delays accumulated over the past three years, the maiden launch of Ariane 6 is still expected later this year.
All the details.
THE NEW THALES ALENIA SPACE CONTRACT FOR ARIANE 6
Thales Alenia Space has signed a contract with ArianeGroup to start production of the telemetry transmitters for the Ariane 6 launcher.
The main function of the two telemetry transmitters is to send the data transmitted by the launcher to the ground for the entire duration of the launch mission, used to perform analyzes after each flight. The high-performance 30 W transmitter was entirely designed and manufactured by Thales Alenia Space in Spain, thus paving the way for the creation of a product line of digital transmitters for space applications.
This contract follows the previous development contracts for Ariane 6.
"The contract signed on the occasion of the Paris Air Show confirms the trust placed by ArianeGroup in the know-how and skills of the Spanish teams of Thales Alenia Space, who join the adventure of European launchers", commented Stéphane Terranova, CEO of Thales Alenia Space in Spain.
In Belgium, Thales Alenia Space is also responsible for the development and production of the safety control system, as well as the control electronics for the Ariane 6 nozzle maneuvering system.
THE LAUNCH CALENDAR
Finally, the Le Bourget air show was also the occasion to learn about an update of the calendar for the maiden launch of Ariane 6, with the assembly of the launch vehicle on the launch pad scheduled for November, as Aviation Week reports.
"Everything is going very well," said Toni Tolker-Nielsen, head of the Ariane 6 program at the European Space Agency (ESA), during a press conference at the Paris Air Show.
Meanwhile, Ariane 6 is alone on its launch pad preparing for launch tests. As part of the combined tests, Ariane 6's mobile portal was removed on June 22, revealing the launcher on its launch pad, according to an ArianeGroup statement. This operation is part of a dress rehearsal which was a launch sequence or "timeline". The removal of the moving gantry is the culmination of functional testing to date and precedes the firing of the Vulcain 2.1 main stage engine on the launch pad. This test is to test the ignition sequence to minimize the risk of a crash during the final sequence.
If all goes according to plan, assembly of the vehicle on the launch pad is still expected to begin in November 2023.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/ecco-che-cosa-fara-thales-alenia-space-per-il-lanciatore-ariane-6/ on Fri, 23 Jun 2023 11:45:40 +0000.