Closer to Space Flight: Final Testing of Ariane 6 Rocket Motor Accomplished

Due to the successful final testing of the motor system, Ariane 6 Rocket is currently a step closer to conducting a flight to space. Discover all the details further!

This autumn, the engineering team trained the P120C and gained excellent results, at CSG (belongs to CNES, which is located in France. This third successful test, carried out in the Ariane 6 configuration, paves the way for final qualification by the European Space Agency (ESA). Two testings that occurred in 2018 and 2019 revealed breathtaking engineering results as well.

This very testing has prepared the ground for final evaluation which will be conducted by the European Space Agency soon.

Before going deeper into the subject of this article, we would like to accentuate that if your business or startup is connected with the space industry and you are looking for a talented engineering team to bring your solution to life, check the engineering platform - Engre. This B2B marketplace will find for you true professionals with colossal engineering experience!

(Photo : Closer to Space Flight: Final Testing of Ariane 6 Rocket Motor Accomplished)

The Essential about New Motor

What is the most impressive about the ESA's P120c rocket motor? The third testing proved that it could be implemented in two different types of launch vehicles without the necessity for any additional modifications.

The P120C is going to be used for several modifications of Ariane 6:

• Ariane 62 is fitted with two boosters;
• Ariane 64 is expected to possess four.

All the teams involved, these successful firings are also a source of the proudest moment as every step in the development procedure was implemented solemnly. This witnesses a crucial moment for Europe's space exploration strategy and the future of aviation as well.

What is also exciting about this new motor is that it can be placed onto the Vega-C launch vehicle.

Now, let's consider what this motor is composed of. Structurally, it possesses two fundamental components.

The model has the engine topping power of more than four thousand KN and a burning duration that exceeds a hundred seconds. The engine involves several elements. One of them is the structural casing, built by Avio and made of carbon cloth phenolic (a composite filament-wound shell with pre-impregnated sheets with epoxy resin adhesive).

The second part is the Ariane Group's nozzle, made of build-up specimen produced by the motor, transforming this inflammable gas fuel into motive power to create pressure. The nozzle can also be tiltable that allows the set off of the vehicle to be steered. Propellant manufacturing, loading, and final incorporation of the motor into the system were conducted in the location mentioned earlier in this article.

Testing Peculiarities of Ariane 6 Rocket Motor

Let's discover all the details regarding the testing procedure of the motor.

During the testing procedure, the P120C motor was filled with a hundred and thirty-two tons of propellant inside its fourteen meter-long and around three-meter-wide casing before it was delivered to a stand devoted to this kind of solid propulsion examination.

Then, as soon it was fired up, it burned for a hundred and thirty seconds, and successfully delivered four thousand fifty hundred kilonewtons of thrust. It was the greatest thrust which is the amount implemented for ordinary liftoff, as well as the initial phase of flight, according to the European Space Agency.

The test engineering team figured out no direct problems, and the testing procedure was acknowledged as a success. However, the entire analysis of these testing processes will be conducted before the motor launching Ariane 6 to space.

Considering the major investments required for producing solid-propellant motors, this very model is an ideal example of engineering optimization. Why is that so? It will enrich a few of the Ariane 6 configurations and the first stage of Vega-C. This will enable the most optimal implementation of industrial facilities across Europe, thus achieving the goals of the Ariane 6 and Vega-C programs. Their goals are considered as reduced costs, optimized operation procedures due to a fast-track design, and the use of innovative technologies and approaches.

According to Stefano Bianchi, Head of Space Transportation Development at ESA, this motor is the evidence of the hard work of all the engineering teams involved who have made the third testing procedure possible despite the Covid-19 pandemic.