Europe’s new Ariane 6 heavy-lift rocket today carried out a critical eight-minute engine test, which you can watch live.
The Ariane 6 test vehicle will ignite its single Vulcan 2.1 engine for 470 seconds, as long as it burns during an operational launch, today on a pad at the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
High-temperature combustion testing is scheduled to begin at 3:30 pm ET (2030 pm Japan time). You can watch it live or in person on Space.com, courtesy of the European Space Agency. Via ESA. Coverage begins at 3:10 PM ET (2010 GMT).
Related: First launch of Europe’s new Ariane 6 rocket postponed to 2024
Ariane 6 is Europe’s next generation heavy goods vehicle. This rocket consists of a core stage powered by a single Vulcain 2.1 and an upper stage powered by a smaller Vinci engine. The vehicle is also equipped with two or four solid rocket boosters, which increase thrust during launch.
Ariane 6 will replace the flagship Ariane 5, which was retired in July of this year after 27 years of service and more than 100 successful launches. The new rocket was supposed to be operational by 2020 and enable a smooth transition between the two European vehicles, but it has suffered a series of delays.
The vehicle’s manufacturer is currently targeting a debut launch sometime in 2024, and today’s test marks an important milestone on the road to flight.
“The eight-minute engine fire test replicates how Ariane 6’s core stage would catch fire during a normal flight into space,” ESA officials wrote in the paper. Test description. “This test, conducted on a test model on the launch pad at the European Spaceport, marks the longest ‘full stack’ operation to date for Ariane 6’s lower liquid propulsion module, powered by the Vulcan 2.1 engine. ”
If all goes to plan, Vulcan 2.1 will burn nearly 165 tons (150 tons) of propellant during the test: cryogenic liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen.
Today’s test is not the first time Ariane 6 has fired up its main engine.
For example, on September 5, the teams conducted an Ariane 6 launch rehearsal at the Kourou airfield. The exercise also included a test fire of a Vulcan 2.1, but its burn lasted only four seconds.