Credit: CNES / ESA / Arianespace / Optique Vidéo CSG / JM Guillo
ArianeGroup has contracted MT Aerospace to deliver key components for 27 Ariane 6 rockets, covering flights 16 through 42.
Germany’s MT Aerospace is one of the Ariane 6 programme’s largest contractors, providing around 10% of the entire launch vehicle. The company supplies components for the cryogenic storage tanks and metallic structures of both the upper and core stages, as well as structural elements of the Vulcain engine bay and the forward and aft sections of the solid boosters.
Announced on 25 September, the new contract covers the operational phase of the Ariane 6 heavy-lift rocket. It focuses on the industrial ramp-up of the launch system, aiming to support ArianeGroup’s target of as many as ten launches per year.
“This keeps the gateway to space open for Europe, with a significant contribution from Augsburg, which means further growth for our company,” said MT Aerospace CEO Ulrich Scheib. “This not only strengthens the competitiveness of the European space industry, but also Europe’s independence in accessing space.”
The first fifteen
Arianespace placed an order with ArianeGroup in May 2019 to begin manufacturing the first series-production batch of 14 Ariane 6 rockets. At the time, these launches were anticipated to occur between 2021 and 2023.
In August 2020, MT Aerospace issued a stark update warning that delays to Ariane 6’s inaugural flight would “massively” impact the company. “The initial launch of Ariane 6 has been postponed. This means that series production will commence at a later date and on a smaller scale than planned. The fallout from the corona pandemic is additionally exacerbating the situation. We are in a difficult position,” said then-CEO Hans Steininger.
In April 2021, ArianeGroup awarded MT Aerospace the long-awaited contract to supply components for the first 14 series-production Ariane 6 rockets. Including the qualification model built for the rocket’s inaugural flight, the company had, at that point, been contracted to produce components for 15 Ariane 6 rockets.
The PHOEBUS upgrade
In May 2019, MT Aerospace and ArianeGroup signed contracts with the European Space Agency for the development of the Prototype of a Highly Optimised Black Upper Stage (PHOEBUS) initiative. The project aimed to reduce the mass and cost of the main structures of an Ariane 6 upper stage, thereby improving the rocket’s overall performance.
MT Aerospace is responsible for producing the carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic tanks that will store liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, which will power the Ariane 6 Vinci upper-stage engine. In July, the company reached a key milestone in the programme with the completion of its first full-scale prototype storage tank.
The PHOEBUS upgrade will be introduced in the rocket’s Block 2 version, which is expected to make its debut in 2026.