
Copernical Team
Ariane 6 hot-fires: the highlights

Cinq, quatre, trois, deux, un. Allumage Vulcain! This is the moment Ariane 6’s main engine was sparked into life, and the entire main stage of the new rocket and the many parts of the launch pad in Kourou, French Guiana, practised for the full duration of a launch. Of course, as planned, the test model did not leave the ground.
Without its boosters, instead of piercing the clouds Ariane 6’ created its own on Earth: a clean byproduct of the Vulcain 2.1 engine’s oxygen and hydrogen propellants, which came together to send out impressive swirls of H2O.
After the
Week in images: 20-24 November 2023

Week in images: 20-24 November 2023
Discover our week through the lens
‘The making of Juice’: the story behind the film

One giant planet. Three icy moons. An eight-year journey. One special spacecraft.
Building a mission to Jupiter took years of planning and thousands of people. Now that Juice is finally en route to its destination, our documentary ‘The making of Juice’ takes a look behind the scenes at the development and testing of the spacecraft in the three years leading up to launch. We hear from Juice Project Manager, Giuseppe Sarri, about how and why the film was made.
HummingSat: a new chapter in space innovation unveiled

ESA and SWISSto12, a leading manufacturer of advanced satellite payloads and systems, have signed a contract for the full development of a new product line of satellites called HummingSat.
Earth from Space: Salty lakes

Europe's Ariane 6 rocket successfully completes hot-fire test

The European Space Agency's Ariane 6 rocket successfully completed a dress rehearsal on Thursday, test-firing its engine in preparation for a maiden voyage scheduled for 2024.
The final results of the ignition test, which involved firing up the Vulcain 2.1 engine and running it for more than seven minutes, will not be released until November 30, pending a full analysis.
But manufacturer ArianeGroup already called the rehearsal "successfully completed".
The hot-fire test at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana "simulated a complete launch sequence and thus validated the entire flight phase of Ariane 6's core stage," it said in a statement after Thursday's rehearsal.
ArianeGroup CEO Martin Sion praised the team for the "real industrial feat", but added that "a few additional tests", notably fault tolerance, were still needed before the rocket was ready for launch.
Ariane 6 Core Stage fires up for long-duration test

X-59 gets a Patriotic makeover

India opens skies to Eutelsat OneWeb for satellite broadband services

Shanghai Sets Sights on Expanding Space Industry with Ambitious 2025 Goals
