LE BOURGET—After the first commercial flight of Ariane 6 and Vega-C's return to flight, top executives at ArianeGroup, Arianespace, Avio and the European Space Agency (ESA) are now turning their attention to increasing launch cadences, they said at a panel discussion here June 17.
Ramping up will help Ariane and Vega meet market demand, compete with SpaceX and other launch service providers, and strengthen Europe's sovereignty in access to space. The reaffirmed importance of cadence comes after a period of crisis when Ariane 6 was late and the Vega family suffered repeated failures. Managing to launch 10 Ariane 6s and six Vega-Cs annually in the coming years would confirm Europe's credibility in space launchers.
Compared to Ariane 5, Ariane 6's projected 10 launches per year double Europe's previous cadence. That number will be reached in 2029 at the latest, Arianespace CEO David Cavaillolès said. That corresponds to beginning to deploy the European Commission's IRIS2 secure communications constellation, he noted. While not committing to a year for the cadence, Cavaillolès, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher and ArianeGroup CEO Martin Sion insisted it should be achieved as soon as possible.
The third launch of an Ariane 6 is planned for July, and this year's total is expected to stand at five launches. That number includes the first Ariane 64 heavy-lift version and the first launch for Amazon's Kuiper constellation, Cavaillolès said. Arianespace's backlog for Ariane 6 stands at more than 30, he added.
When the next Vega-C lifts off in July, the Vega family will have performed four launches in 10 months, Avio CEO Giulio Ranzo said, emphasizing the growing rate. “In 2026, we plan on five launches, at least,” he added. Using a former Ariane 5 facility at the Kourou spaceport is helping with pre-launch vehicle integration, he explained.
ArianeGroup is developing an Ariane 6 Blk. 2 with 20% better performance, thanks to the recently tested P160C booster. Meanwhile, ESA engineers are still studying a composite-material upper stage, but they have yet to devise a schedule for integration.
In the near future, a beefed-up variant of Vega-C will rely on the P160 as a first stage and, with an enlarged fairing, will offer dual-satellite launches, Ranzo said.
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