The payloads to be carried on the first Ariane-6 launch
With the first Ariane-6 rocket now being stacked for its first test flight sometime in the June-July timeframe, a European Space Agency (ESA) press release today touted the payloads the rocket will carry.
All told, the rocket will carry nine cubesats, two satellite deploy systems, two test re-entry capsules, and five experimental payloads. That only four are government payloads, with the rest from a variety of private companies, once again illustrates ESA’s shift from running everything. It is acting to encourage commercial operations that are establishing capabilities that it once would have demanded it do. Instead it will be the customer for these things in the future.
The two re-entry capsules might be the most interesting payloads of all. Both are private, from ArianeGroup and the French company The Exploration Company. The latter is developing its own Nyx cargo freighter, comparable to Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus capsule, aimed at providing cargo services to the many commercial space stations presently being built. This test flight is apparently designed to prove out some of the company’s re-entry technology.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
With the first Ariane-6 rocket now being stacked for its first test flight sometime in the June-July timeframe, a European Space Agency (ESA) press release today touted the payloads the rocket will carry.
All told, the rocket will carry nine cubesats, two satellite deploy systems, two test re-entry capsules, and five experimental payloads. That only four are government payloads, with the rest from a variety of private companies, once again illustrates ESA’s shift from running everything. It is acting to encourage commercial operations that are establishing capabilities that it once would have demanded it do. Instead it will be the customer for these things in the future.
The two re-entry capsules might be the most interesting payloads of all. Both are private, from ArianeGroup and the French company The Exploration Company. The latter is developing its own Nyx cargo freighter, comparable to Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus capsule, aimed at providing cargo services to the many commercial space stations presently being built. This test flight is apparently designed to prove out some of the company’s re-entry technology.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
“The two re-entry capsules might be the most interesting payloads of all… (including the) Nyx cargo freighter, comparable to Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus capsule…”
Unfortunately Cygnus was not a “re-entry” capsule, but burned-up on reentry, making it the de facto trash disposal system for the ISS.
On the other hand, Cygnus could boost the ISS orbit as required, like the Russian Progress freighter. The SpaceX Dragon capsule (manned or freight version) cannot perform this function. Nyx’s abilities here are not mentioned.
Thus the comparableness of the Nyx to the Cygnus seems to be somewhat open to question.
Ps. I have read that, with the discontinuation of the NG Antares booster, Cygnus will continue to service the ISS, boosted by the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Ray,
Good call about the Nyx capsule. It will be – assuming it reaches operational service -more comparable to Cargo Dragon than to Cygnus.
Anent Cygnus, Antares has not been discontinued so much as killed off by geopolitics. Its erstwhile 1st stage structure was made in Ukraine in a factory which is now rubble. It’s engines were made in Russia and are now embargoed. Firefly is designing and building a new first stage for an upgraded version of Antares that is scheduled to debut ca. two years hence. In the interim, Cygnus will launch on Falcon 9.
“Firefly is designing and building a new first stage for an upgraded version of Antares that is scheduled to debut ca. two years hence. In the interim, Cygnus will launch on Falcon 9.”
I have a hunch that the new booster, the Antares 330, is going to have a tough time competing with the F9 costwise, especially 2 years from now. And it is not reusable!
You know what is my first reaction when I hear about millions being poured into designing a new non-reusable rocket?
“Hey, did you hear about Russell Wilson going to the Steelers?”