Ariane 6 full stage engine hot-fire test

Watch as Europe’s new Ariane 6 rocket goes through a full-scale rehearsal in preparation for its first flight, when teams from @ArianeGroup, @CnesFrance and ESA on the ground will complete a launch countdown rehearsal. The test includes the ignition of the core stage Vulcain 2.1 engine, followed by 470 seconds of stabilised operation covering the entire core stage flight phase, as it would function on a launch into space.

Coverage started 19:40 UTC (20:40 CET) on 23 November 2023, 20 minutes before engine ignition and continue five minutes after core stage operation, once the engine burns through all its propellant.

Timestaps of the video:
00:00 - 16:18 – Stay tuned
16:19 - 47:49 – Countdown and stop of countdown
47:50 - 01:14:19 – Stay tuned
01:14:20 - 01:30:43 – Restart of countdown and hot-fire test

For this rehearsal, the boosters were not ignited, so Ariane 6 stayed firmly on the launch pad at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

The eight-minute engine-fire trial reenacts how the Ariane 6 core stage will fire during a normal flight into space. The trial, conducted with a test model on the launch pad at Europe’s Spaceport will be the longest ‘full-stack' run yet for Ariane 6’s lower liquid propulsion module equipped with a Vulcain 2.1 engine.

The Vulcain 2.1 engine will burn through almost 150 tonnes of propellant supplied from the Ariane 6 core stage tanks – liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen – supercooled to temperatures below -250°C.

The Vulcain 2.1 engine is an evolution of the Vulcain 2 engine that made Ariane 5 Europe's most successful launch system ever. The upgrade has a simplified and cheaper design and features new technology in the engine nozzle, while the ignition system has been moved from the engine to the launch pad to make the core stage perform better and cost less.

Credits: ESA - European Space Agency

#ESA
#Ariane6
#Rocket

[nice_challenge]

The Ariane noise suppression system must be the most impressive ever on earth...

[_nightmared]

I can say without a doubt that I was not the only one hoping fervently for a success given how the past months went from hardships to failures for european space projects.

Which is why I'm so happy that this was indeed a success, well done to all the teams involved!

[byteborg]

Congrats!
A short impression of outside audio would've been nice.

[jacqp]

Merci de nous avoir partagé ce moment, hâte d'apprendre la date du futur tir 😉

[V-xn]

Well done, ESA. Good luck with the inaugural flight, hopefully very soon!

[jesseblanchard]

Happy Thanksgiving from Hilmon stigler and family and friends God bless all

[Zajdafree]

Greetings from the Czech Republic and congratulations...🎉🎉🎉 Let's go Europe!!!!❤❤❤

[MeLovingLive]

Well done! Congrats to all involved people. I hope we will see a launch soon. 😄

[roganthoerson]

Good job !!! That said because Ariane V first launch was a crash i think software based we will have to wait the first launch. I would be very happy if one day ESA would have a human space flight capability and not relying on US or Russia. Having again a launch system is a step in the right direction.

[sofocle]

I love everithing space related. I wish ESA would invest more in better quality of this (rare) events. It is a pitty to not get great quality angles, or drone footage and better and videos in general. See what USA is doing and how much media (online) they manage to get and entertain. Much buzz means more sustain of the europpean people, and God knows we need as much funds for space tech as we can get. If conservative partys and extremism wins so much ground these days, who knows when they'll ask not to invest in this tech.

[PavloPravdiukov]

Wow! The engine is so strong, but I'm more impressed with the perfect launch facility performance! Withstand such forces and temperatures for such a long time! True modern marvel!

[cedricdesnoyers]

Vive Ariane 6, et merci à tout le personnel qui s'occupe de notre programme spacial. 🎉

[moukamiel]

Continuez les gars ! C'est bien !

[Michel]

Félicitations, dommage qu'il n'y ait pas eu de son ! Attention, avec SpaceX, la bataille se joue aussi avec une bonne com !

[Scholesy]

Spacex needs more competition, and the world needs more innovation and success in boundaries being pushed, for all humankind. Qudos to the scientists, engineers and support staff in this acomplishment. Ad Astra.

[MlKEcc]

Very dissappointing no engine sound a tiny bit would have been nice at least

[kangooroo]

The reliable Arianes!
Who else can take Webb to L-2??

[xaviersavedra]

Awesome to see the TVC doing its thing

[hiren_bhatt]

Congratulations ESA! ... Just a couple of things to add: Why no engine sound provided to the viewer? ... Also, why doesn't ESA have any human-rated rockets? .... Btw, it would have been nice if the narrator had talked about the specifications of the Ariane 6 rocket, like the lift capacity to LEO, GTO, TLI, TMI, etc.. Also, the thrust produced by the main engine and the boosters.
These are small things, but they add to the viewer experience.😊

[peterwilles]

Thx esa, nice one. For some people its never good enough