The Astris kick stage is being developed for ESA by prime contractor, ArianeGroup. It is an optional add-on to Ariane 6’s upper stage and will interface directly with the payload. This will enable Ariane 6 to offer a range of new space transportation services by allowing complex orbital transfers.

Astris will simplify missions by taking over some of the required built-in propulsion capabilities of payloads to move themselves to their final position in orbit. Future space missions, especially for telecommunications applications and space exploration, could use Astris to reduce mission cost and risk. ESA’s Hera spacecraft, a planetary defence mission to the Didymos asteroid system, is set to be the first to benefit.

In three types of missions, Astris could enable deep space exploration for ridesharing payloads with destinations such as asteroids, the Moon and Mars; insert a payload directly into geostationary orbit; or augment Ariane 6’s ability to deploy multiple payloads such as a constellation into separate low Earth orbits on a single launch.

Activities for the development of the Astris kick stage are being carried out as part of the Ariane 6 Competitiveness Improvement Programme within ESA’s Directorate of Space Transportation.