WASHINGTON – The European Space Agency successfully conducted a significant long-duration firing of an Ariane 6 prototype on November 23rd, marking one of the final tests before the rocket’s inaugural launch. The test took place at the launch pad in Kourou, French Guiana, where the Vulcain 2.1 engine in the core stage of the Ariane 6 test model was ignited.

The test firing was delayed for nearly 45 minutes due to a small anomaly in the transient threshold pressure. However, once the test commenced, it was scheduled to last 470 seconds, simulating a full burn of the core stage on an actual launch. Despite some changes in the performance of the engine in the final minute of the burn, ESA announced that the test was a success.

According to ESA, this milestone marks a significant step toward securing Europe’s autonomous access to space. The European Space Agency also stated that this full-duration static-fire test is one of the final tests before the agency can announce a launch period for the first Ariane 6. There is also one more hot-fire test of the Ariane 6 upper stage, examining its performance in degraded conditions, scheduled for December.

The successful test was a result of years of planning, preparation, and hard work from the team, representing a major achievement for the European space engineers. As a result, the European Space Agency is now closer to resecuring Europe’s autonomous access to space. This puts Ariane 6 on track for its inaugural flight, with the core stage and upper stage having undergone all necessary testing to be ready for the launch.

In conclusion, the European Space Agency’s successful long-duration firing of the Ariane 6 prototype on November 23rd represents one of the final tests before the rocket is ready for its inaugural launch. The test, which simulated a full burn of the core stage, proved to be a significant milestone in securing Europe’s autonomous access to space. With this success, the agency is now one step closer to announcing a launch period for the first Ariane 6, marking a major achievement for space engineers in Europe.