Sonaca’s Post

Ready for take off? 🚀 #Ariane6 certainly was – and we came, too. Or to be precise, materials supplied by us. Yesterday was the inaugural flight for the next generation of the Ariane launch vehicle family. And we’re happy to say that our colleagues from thyssenkrupp Aerospace supplied aluminum plates for the thrust frame at the core stage and Vinci Thrust Frame (VITF). The venture provided material for the most powerful European expendable launch system of today. Space projects are still quite the challenge: They require state-of-the-art technologies and its materials must be extremely resilient in order to withstand extreme conditions in #space and during space travel. 💪

Ariane 6 launches: Exolaunch's EXOpod Nova, Artist's view of an Ariane 6 (A62) two booster launcher in its inaugural flight configuration, to be operated from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Ariane 6 provides a modular architecture using either two boosters (Ariane 62) or four boosters (Ariane 64), depending on the required performance. The P120C solid-propellant boosters will be common with Vega-C. Credit: ESA-D. Ducros Europe's newest rocket soon launches, taking with it many space missions

Design and Engineering going (sailing?) in the right direction! ⛵️

The future is uncertain but the only way to figure out is by trying and learning.

First booster for Ariane 6 ready, Image: First booster for Ariane 6 ready, : Image: First booster for Ariane 6 ready

The #Susie (Smart Upper Stage for Innovative Exploration) concept, unveiled by ArianeGroup at IAC Paris last year, aims to enable a competitive, innovative and resilient space logistic for Europe, in a context of very diverse and growing space applications. In just one year, it has started to become reality with functioning hardware: the first Susie demonstrator operated its four turbojet engines for the first time last week at ArianeGroup's Les Mureaux site. This 1/6th scale demonstrator is the first concrete step in ArianeGroup’s roadmap to rapidly master and leverage the key technologies needed to validate the concept, notably during low speed flight, approach and landing phases. As a “test and learn” platform, this modular flying test bed is designed to progressively explore and expand the flight envelope in a step-by-step approach. In the months ahead, hop tests of increasing height and duration will be performed followed by tests of horizontal flight to validate the aerodynamic stability and the use of the aerodynamic control surfaces, enabling the transition to precision landing using its engines or a parachute. Using results from this demonstrator, ArianeGroup is already working on an operational half-size Susie as an intermediate vehicle that could be launched by an #ariane6, under the fairing, offering an initial capability to bring cargo up and back down from a space station. This technological building block will then allow to unlock the full potential of a full scale Susie reusable stage for even larger capacity cargo space transportation and thereafter human missions. Susie is a flagship project in ArianeGroup's #innovation portfolio, a testament to the dedication of our French and German #SpaceEnablers teams to continuously propose new solutions capable of meeting Europe’s future needs in space. We’ll continue in the coming weeks to further explain our vision for future space logistics with Susie, so, stay tuned! #spaceindustry #WorkInSpace #futureisnow

Connecting Ariane 6 upper and core stage, Image: Connecting Ariane 6 upper and core stage, : Image: Connecting Ariane 6 upper and core stage

Beryllium Mysteries: From beryl to Space Wonder！ Beryllium has the unique advantages of light weight and high strength, and it has a wide range of applications in the aerospace field. Aircraft fuselages, engine components, boosters and rocket fuel tanks all require lightweight materials that can withstand great stress. For example, SpaceX used beryllium ceramics on the second stage engine noose of the Falcon 9 rocket and the Raptor engine noose of the Starship to reduce the weight of the spacecraft and improve the performance of the spacecraft. In addition, the use of beryllium alloy greatly reduces the weight of the equipment, while ensuring sufficient strength and heat resistance. Take the Boeing 787 Dreamliner as an example, its fuselage structure uses a lot of beryllium alloy material. This design makes the overall weight of the aircraft 20% lighter than conventional aircraft, resulting in a significant reduction in fuel consumption and improved range and passenger capacity. In the aerospace field, beryllium is also used in spacecraft structural components, reactor components, etc., to help spacecraft maintain good performance in extreme environments.

European Ariane 6 rocket successfully launched after all

It is now certain: on July 9th, the European launcher Ariane 6 will take off for the first time and serve as the successor to Ariane 5, which has been in service for over twenty-five years until last year. 🚀 With this project, Ariane 6 marks a new era in autonomous European space travel and the cost-effectiveness of a flight will make the European market more competitive. 🛰️ The design of the rocket also stands out - not only because the parts are manufactured in Europe, for example in France or Austria, where Beyond Gravity Austria is responsible for the “high-temperature thermal insulation for the rocket engines of the launcher and a mechanism for controlling the upper stage of the rocket”, but also because of the modular design. The Ariane 6 rocket can be equipped with either two or four boosters, depending on requirements, in order to be able to optimally launch both heavy payloads and closer targets, for example. 🤩 Everything you need to know: https://ow.ly/F7ak50ScjEq 📷: Manuel Pedoussaut/ESA/dpa