The maiden flight of the Ariane 6 rocket will take place "
probably at the end of 2023
" but there are "
possible hazards
" in the event of problems discovered during the tests, the boss of the French space agency warned on Tuesday.
"
The first flight, if all goes well, will take place in 2023, probably at the end of 2023
," said Cnes CEO Philippe Baptiste, presenting his wishes to the press.
“
It is still conditioned on the fact that we do not discover any major technical problem during the combined tests
” during which the rocket and its launch pad built by Cnes are tested in Kourou in Guyana, according to him.
For Philippe Baptiste, "
there are still possible hazards in the coming months, there is no point in holding a speech other than this speech of technical truth
".
The European Space Agency (ESA), prime contractor for European launchers, officially expects a launch in the fourth quarter.
Read alsoA cargo ship to ferry Ariane 6 to Kourou
Europe's autonomous access to space is in trouble: it no longer has access to the medium Russian Soyuz launcher since the invasion of Ukraine, the Ariane 6 heavy launcher is three years behind schedule and the launcher lightweight Vega is grounded.
“
The recent bad news is the failure of Vega-C
” on December 20.
A commission of inquiry to identify the cause of the failure and the means to remedy it must deliver its conclusions in February, said Philippe Baptiste.
"
There is a real desire to return to flight as soon as possible
," he said, saying he was "
confident
".
Pitchers Crisis
As a result, the load plan of the Guiana Space Center (CSG), Europe's spaceport, at this stage only provides for the last two Ariane 5 launches this year.
Cnes will "
take advantage
" of this low activity "
to upgrade the base
" with an investment plan of nearly 600 million euros to reduce the time between launches, digitize the complex and reduce its carbon footprint.
Read alsoAfter the new delay for Ariane 6, Europe threatened with a shortage of launchers
This launcher crisis must, according to Philippe Baptiste, lead ESA to review the rules of geographical return.
These provide that the financing of each of the 22 Member States translates into equivalent industrial benefits for its national companies.
If it is a "
force to bring out new players, we see the limits of the system when we are on a competitive market
", estimated the boss of the French space agency.
“
We can't do both the geographical return and engage in a competition where we want to make a really cheap launcher.
At some point you have to choose
,” he said.