Paris. October 31. INTERFAX - The European Space Agency (ESA) is going to carry out the first launch of a new Ariane 6 launch vehicle in the second half of 2022, according to data from the French developer Arianespace.
The rocket will replace the current European Ariane 5 rocket, which until recently was the main ESA vehicle for launching spacecraft into orbit. With its help, 111 launches have been carried out since 2002, 106 of which were completely successful.
Ariane 6 is designed to launch a payload into a low reference orbit or geotransfer orbit from the Kourou cosmodrome in French Guiana. The cost of creating a rocket and a new launch complex for it is estimated at 4 billion euros.
The Ariane 6 launch vehicle will be used in two versions. The A62 version is a light rocket equipped with two solid-fuel side boosters, which is designed to launch two small satellites, for example, communications devices, weighing up to 5 tons into a geotransfer orbit and 10.35 tons into a low reference orbit.
The Ariane 6 in the A64 version is a heavy carrier with four side boosters. It will be used to launch heavy spacecraft for scientific and military purposes into orbit. The rocket is capable of putting into orbit up to 11.5 tons into a geotransfer orbit and 21.5 tons into a low reference orbit.
