Ariane (rocket)
Ariane is a series of European launch vehicles developed on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA) by a subsidiary of the European aerospace company Airbus Group (formerly EADS). The Ariane rockets are launched from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana , 5 ° north of the equator.
history
The name Ariane comes from the French name for the fertility goddess Ariadne from Greek mythology . The company Arianespace was founded in March 1980 and has since taken over the financing, production, sale and launch of the Ariane rockets. This company is owned by various European space companies. The sole main contractor for the series production of the current rocket, Ariane 5 , is the Airbus Group subsidiary Airbus Defense & Space. Although extensive increases in the performance of Ariane 5 are still being planned, the start of the development of the successor version Ariane 6 is already being prepared.
The doctrine , originally from France, of securing “autonomous access to space” ( Charles de Gaulle ) and thus being able to place satellites in orbit independently of the United States and the Soviet Union , led to the establishment of the European Launcher Development Organization in London in 1964 ( ELDO) through Belgium , France , Italy , Germany , Great Britain , the Netherlands and Australia .
The decisive factor was involved Hubert Curien , the 1976-1984 president of the CNES ( National Center for Space Research shortly CNES was). He was responsible for French space policy and especially the development of the rocket. Later he was called the father of Ariane .
The reason for the Australian commitment was the space site in Woomera , which was very beneficial for the development. The rockets developed by ELDO were given the name Europa . The Europa 1 and Europa 2 models were never used commercially; the Europa 3 then emerged as the Ariane 1 .
Development and sales
The Ariane rockets were developed by space companies from the ESA member states on behalf of ESA. Each Member State participating in the project made financial resources available. In return, the industry of the respective state received development contracts from ESA to the value of the development center contribution paid by the state. Since the contract for the series production of a total of 65 Ariane 5 launch vehicles, the EADS subsidiary EADS Astrium Transportation has been the sole prime contractor and is now responsible for the delivery of the Ariane 5 to Arianespace. Previously, the start-up company Arianespace had to order the individual parts of the rocket from various companies and then have them assembled by another selected company.
Ariane models
Ariane 1 to 3
| Missile type | Ariane 1 | Ariane 2 | Ariane 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Development period | from | 1973 | 1980 | 1980 |
| to | 1979 | 1986 | 1984 | |
| length | 47.4 m | 48.7 m | 48.7 m | |
| diameter | 3.8 m | 3.8 m | 3.8 m | |
| Takeoff mass | 207 t | 221 t | 241 t | |
| Start thrust | 2446 kN | 2580 kN | 3820 kN | |
| Start acceleration | 2.04 m / s² | 1.89 m / s² | 6.07 m / s² | |
| Max. Payload | LEO | 2600 kg | 4000 kg | 5000 kg |
| GTO | 1930 kg | 2175 kg | 2700 kg | |
| booster | 0 | 0 | 2 p | |
| First start | Dec. 24, 1979 | May 31, 1986 | Aug 4, 1984 | |
| Last start | Feb. 22, 1986 | Apr 2, 1989 | July 11, 1989 | |
| Flights | 11 | 6th | 11 | |
| False starts | 2 | 1 | 0 | |
| reliability | 82% | 83% | 100% | |
- Remarks:
- ↑ Data Ariane 1 to 3
- ↑ LEO = near-earth orbit, GTO = geostationary transfer orbit
- ↑ P = solid fuel booster,
- Ariane 1: further development of Europa 3
- Ariane 2: Ariane 3 without solid fuel booster
- Ariane 3: Enlarged modification of Ariane 1 with two additional solid fuel boosters
Ariane 4
| Missile type | Ariane 40 | Ariane 42P | Ariane 44P | Ariane 42L | Ariane 44LP | Ariane 44L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Development period | from | 1982 | 1982 | 1982 | 1982 | 1982 | 1982 |
| to | 1988 | 1988 | 1988 | 1988 | 1988 | 1988 | |
| length | 55.6 m | 55.9 m | 56.9 m | 55.6 m | 58.4 m | 58.7 m | |
| diameter | 3.8 m | 3.8 m | 3.8 m | 3.8 m | 3.8 m | 3.8 m | |
| Takeoff mass | 245 t | 323 t | 357 t | 367 t | 420 t | 484 t | |
| Start thrust | 2720 kN | 3944 kN | 5140 kN | 4600 kN | 5270 kN | 5395 kN | |
| Start acceleration | 1.32 m / s² | 2.43 m / s² | 4.62 m / s² | 2.75 m / s² | 2.77 m / s² | 1.37 m / s² | |
| Max. Payload | LEO | 4600 kg | 6000 kg | 6500 kg | 7000 kg | 8000 kg | 10200 kg |
| GTO | 2290 kg | 2990 kg | 3390 kg | 3590 kg | 4170 kg | 4950 kg | |
| booster | 0 | 2 p | 4 p | 2 L | 2 P + 2 L | 4 L | |
| First start | Jan. 22, 1990 | Nov 20, 1990 | Apr 4, 1991 | March 12, 1993 | June 15, 1988 | June 5th 1989 | |
| Last start | Dec 3, 1999 | May 4, 2002 | 25 Sep 2001 | Jan. 23, 2002 | Nov 27, 2001 | Feb 15, 2003 | |
| Flights | 7th | 15th | 15th | 13 | 26th | 40 | |
| False starts | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| reliability | 100% | 93% | 100% | 100% | 96% | 97.5% | |
| Fuel 1st stage | 158 t to 172 t | 219 t to 222 t | 229 t to 232 t | 205 t to 209 t | 229 t to 232 t | 229 t to 232 t | |
| Burning time 1st stage | 150 s | 196 s | 209 s | 181 s | 209 s | 209 s | |
| Important payloads | ERS 1 & 2 | TOPEX / Poseidon | ISO | Astra 1C | Hipparcos , Astra 1A , TV-SAT 2 | Intelsat 907 , DFS Kopernikus 1 | |
Remarks:
- ↑ Data Ariane 4
- ↑ LEO = near-earth orbit, GTO = geostationary transfer orbit
- ↑ P = solid fuel booster, L = liquid fuel
- ↑ Bernd Leitenberger: European launchers, Volume 1 From the Diamant to Ariane 4 - Europe's rocky road into orbit. Books on Demand, Norderstedt 2009, ISBN 3837095916 page 266
Greatly enlarged modification of the Ariane 3 with a flexible concept of solid and / or liquid fuel boosters with different capacities. This means that the drive is adapted to the different payloads.
Ariane 5
| Missile type | Ariane 5G | Ariane 5G + | Ariane 5GS | Ariane 5ES | Ariane 5ECA | Ariane 5ME | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| status | retired | active | painted | ||||
| Development period | from | 1987 | 1995 | 1995 | 1995 | 1995 | 1995 |
| to | 1996 | 2003 | 2005 | 2007 | 2002 | Demolished in 2014 | |
| length | 54 m | 54 m | 54 m | 59 m | 53 m | 62 m | |
| diameter | 5.4 m | 5.4 m | 5.4 m | 5.4 m | 5.4 m | 5.4 m | |
| Takeoff mass | 750 t | 750 t | 753 t | 775 t | 777 t | 798 t | |
| Start thrust | 11,500 kN | 11,500 kN | 11,629 kN | 11,800 kN | 11,800 kN | 11,800 kN | |
| Start acceleration | 5.55 m / s² | 5.55 m / s² | 5.66 m / s² | 5.45 m / s² | 5.41 m / s² | 5.01 m / s² | |
| Max. Payload | LEO | 18,000 kg | 19,000 kg | 20,000 kg | 20,250 kg | 16,000 kg | 21,000 kg |
| GTO | 6,100 kg | 6,300 kg | 6,500 kg | 8,000 kg | 10,900 kg | 12,500 kg | |
| booster | 2 p | 2 p | 2 p | 2 p | 2 p | 2 p | |
| First start | June 4th 1996 | March 2, 2004 | Aug 11, 2005 | March 9, 2008 | Dec 11, 2002 | (no start) | |
| Last start | 27 Sep 2003 | Dec 18, 2004 | Dec 18, 2009 | July 25, 2018 | in action | (no start) | |
| Flights | 16 | 3 | 6th | 8th | 74 | 0 | |
| False starts | 1 + 2 partial successes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 + 1 partial success | 0 | |
| reliability | 81% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 97% | - | |
Annotation:
- ↑ Data Ariane 5
- ↑ LEO = near earth orbit, GTO = transfer orbit to geostationary orbit
- ↑ Arianespace: Flight VA237: On mission that boosts global connectivity for ViaSat and Eutelsat, the 79th successful launch by Arianespace's Ariane 5 sets a new performance record and orbits its first all-electric satellite , June 1, 2017, accessed June 7, 2017 (English)
- ↑ P = solid fuel booster
- Ariane 5 ECA - The current version of Ariane 5. It is a further developed Ariane 5 launcher with the cryogenic ESC-A upper stage in order to meet the steadily increasing demand for transport options for medium and heavier satellites in the civil market.
- Ariane 5 ES ATV - this version of the Ariane 5 launcher carried the Automated Transfer Vehicle ( ATV ) to the international space station ISS. This space transporter delivered, among other things, supplies such as food, oxygen and fresh water or the fuel for the drive system of the station. But also the height correction of the space station, the so-called "reboost", happened with the thrust of this space transporter.
- Ariane 5 ES Galileo - this version of the Ariane 5 launcher was developed to put the satellites of the European Galileo program into orbit. 12 Galileo satellites were launched during 3 launches. The last start of an Ariane 5 ES was on July 25, 2018.
- Ariane 5 ME - deleted version of Ariane 5 with the new ESC-B upper level.
Ariane 6
The Ariane 6 is currently under development and is designed for a payload of 5 t to 11.5 t in the GTO . After the meeting of the ESA Council on April 17, 2019, Arianespace commissioned the production of the first 14 Ariane 6s. The first flight is planned for 2021.
| Missile type | Ariane 62 | Ariane 64 |
|---|---|---|
| status | in development | |
| Maximum payload: | 5.0 t ( GTO ) 10.35 t ( LEO ) |
approx. 11.5 t (GTO) 21.65 t (LEO) |
| component | Solid booster | |
| Stage name | Equipped Solid Rocket (ESR) | |
| Engine | P120 | |
| Length (m) | 16 | |
| Diameter (m) | 3 | |
| Mass ( t ) | Empty weight: 2 × 11 Fuel: 2 × 142 |
Empty weight: 4 × 11 Fuel: 4 × 142 |
| Thrust Ø (max.) ( KN ) | 2 × 3500 = 7000 | 4 × 3500 = 14000 |
| Burning time ( s ) | 135 (= 2min 15s) | |
| fuel | NH 4 ClO 4 / Al , HTPB (solid) | |
| component | Main level | |
| Stage name | Lower Liquid Propulsion Module (LLPM) | |
| Engine | Vulcain 2.1 | |
| Length (m) | 29 | |
| Diameter (m) | 5.4 | |
| Mass (t) | (Fuel: 140) | |
| Thrust on the ground (kN) | ≥ 960 | |
| Thrust vacuum (kN) | ≥ 1350 | |
| Burning time (s) | 460 (= 7min 30s) | |
| fuel | LOX / LH 2 | |
| component | Upper school | |
| Stage name | Upper Liquid Propulsion Module (ULPM) | |
| Engine | Vinci | |
| Length (m) | 11.5 | |
| Diameter (m) | 5.4 | |
| Mass (t) | (Fuel 31) | |
| Thrust max. (kN) | 180 | |
| Burning time (s) | 900 (= 15min; re-ignitable) | |
| fuel | LOX / LH 2 | |
Ariane 7 / Ariane NEXT
Ariane 7 (also Ariane NEXT ) is a concept for a methane-powered and reusable rocket. It will use the “Prometheus” liquid engines, which are manufactured using a 3D printing process. In preparation for Ariane NEXT, a research program for the landing of rockets is planned, which will initially be carried out with the help of the smaller demonstration research rocket “Callisto” and in the next step with the large-scale rocket “Themis”. Ariane NEXT could be operational by the end of the 2020s.
Modelling
In 1987 Lambert Schelter built a 5.40 meter long airworthy model of the Ariane, which is now in the Hermann Oberth Space Museum in Feucht. A 4.5-meter-long and 85-kilogram airworthy model of the Ariane 4, which was built by a working group of the Advanced Rocketry Group of Switzerland (ARGOS), was successfully launched in 2002 in Amarillo , Texas and twice in Val de Ruz near Neuchâtel .
Community of Ariane Cities
The Communauté des Villes Ariane (CVA, "Community of Ariane Cities") connects the EU locations that are involved in Ariane production.
See also
literature
- Martine Castello: La grande aventure d'Ariane. Larousse 1987, ISBN 2-03-518232-8 .
- Hans-Martin Fischer: Europe's ARIANE launcher. History and technology for the last start of ARIANE 4. Stedinger, Lemwerder 2004, ISBN 3-927697-32-X .
- William Huon: Ariane, une épopée européenne. ETAI 2007, ISBN 978-2-7268-8709-7 .
- Jean-Pierre Philippe: Ariane, horizon 2000. Taillandier, Paris 2000, ISBN 2-87636-045-4 .
- F.-Herbert Wenz: The legendary EUROPA launcher. History and technology of the third stage built in Germany. Stedinger, Lemwerder 2003, ISBN 3-927697-27-3 .
- Bernd Leitenberger: European launchers volume 1. From the diamond to the Ariane 4 - Europe's stony path in the Orbit Books on Demand, Norderstedt 2009, ISBN 3-8370-9591-6 .
Web links
- Arianespace
- Side of the launcher program of the ESA (English)
- Arianespace mission archives (English)
- Astrium, Ariane 5 main contractor
- Reusable into space - Europe is planning a successor to Ariane-5. dradio report on the Ariane 6 rocket
- Page from the “Space History Archive, Bremen eV” u. a. with an Ariane start list
- The history of the European Ariane rocket
- ESA's NGL e-book (English)
- CNES: Europe sets its sights on Ariane 6 (English)
- Video: 30 years of Ariane - 1979 to 2009 . German Aerospace Center 2009, made available by the Technical Information Library (TIB), doi : 10.5446 / 12793 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Astra: Last use for Ariane 5 ES with four Galileos. Retrieved August 23, 2018 .
- ↑ Ariane 6 maiden flight likely slipping to 2021 . Spacenews, May 20, 2020.
- ↑ gosnold: CNES 'director of launchers talks reusable rockets. In: SatelliteObservation.net. June 2, 2018, accessed December 17, 2018 .
- ↑ Plastik Schelter Ariane ( Memento from October 16, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Working group of the Advanced Rocketry Group of Switzerland
