Thales Alenia Space tech on board as Europe launches Ariane 6

Europe’s newly developed heavy-lift launcher, Ariane 6, successfully launched on July 9th from Spaceport in French Guiana, marking a significant milestone in the bloc’s independent space access capability.

Thales Alenia Space, joint venture of French Thales Group and Italian Leonardo, played a crucial role in this achievement by designing and producing essential technologies for Ariane 6, including the launcher’s range safety system, telemetry transmitters, and control electronics for the nozzle steering systems.

Ariane 6 is a versatile launcher designed to accommodate a wide array of space missions for both institutional and commercial clients. It is offered in two configurations tailored to the specific power requirements of each mission: Ariane 62, featuring two solid rocket boosters, and Ariane 64, which incorporates four boosters.

In its higher-capacity setup, Ariane 6 is capable of delivering payloads weighing up to 21.6 tons to low Earth orbit (LEO) and up to 11.5 tons to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO).

During its inaugural flight, Ariane 6 was equipped with two boosters and successfully demonstrated the capabilities of its restartable upper stage.

Thales Alenia Space has been a crucial contributor to European space transportation for over 50 years, leveraging extensive expertise in launchers. Since the early 1970s, Thales Alenia Space in Belgium has been a steadfast partner, having manufactured numerous critical components for European launchers, spanning from Ariane 1 through 5, and now continuing with Ariane 6.

In particular, Thales Alenia Space in Belgium has developed and produced the range safeguard system for Ariane 6. This system plays a vital role in ensuring safety by disabling the launcher if its trajectory deviates in a way that could endanger individuals or property.

Additionally, the Thales Alenia Space facility in Charleroi is responsible for the control electronics of the three Thrust Vector Actuation Systems (TVAS) on Ariane 6. These systems are essential for steering the nozzles of the P120C solid boosters, the cryogenic stage, and the reignitable cryogenic upper stage, thus maintaining precise control over the launcher’s trajectory throughout its mission.

Thales Alenia Space in Spain has recently integrated into the European launcher consortium, operating from Tres Cantos (Madrid). Their primary responsibility involves the development and manufacturing of telemetry transmitters for Ariane 6. These transmitters play a critical role in relaying launcher-generated data to ground stations throughout the entire launch mission.

In parallel, the Space Alliance teams, comprising Telespazio and Thales Alenia Space, have undertaken a significant project under the auspices of the French space agency (CNES). They have expanded the fiber-optic communications system (STFO) at the Guiana Space Center (CSG). This expansion includes integrating the new launch complex for Ariane 6 (ELA4) and enhancing overall communication capabilities.

The STFO system serves as a crucial interface during various phases of launch preparations at CSG, facilitating communication between customers’ test benches and satellites. This includes critical activities such as satellite fueling, encapsulation beneath the launch vehicle fairing, and operations at the launch pad.