Europe cancels planned upgrades for Ariane 6 rocket
Arianespace hasn’t publicly disclosed the cost for an Ariane 6 launch.
Arianespace hasn’t publicly disclosed the cost for an Ariane 6 launch.
The short version
- In the two years since it made a largely successful debut, Europe’s Ariane 6 rocket has launched eight missions, all of which reached orbit safely.
- The large, expendable rocket has a capacity of more than 20 metric tons to low-Earth orbit.
- However, even though the Ariane 6 rocket has had a successful debut, its future is clouded by high costs.
What happened
On Thursday, European Spaceflight reported that “Block 3” upgrades for the Ariane 6 rocket have been shelved by the European Space Agency. A key element of the “Block 3” evolution of Ariane 6 was the lightweight ICARUS upper stage, which would have used carbon-composite structures.
Why it matters
The cancellation of this upgrade has implications for some of the European Space Agency’s science missions, including a probe to Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus.
Summary by Nerd News Network. Read the full article at Ars Technica via the links above and below.