Airbus unveils its proposed Ariane 6 reusable – Les Echos

When SpaceX trying to recover at sea on the first floor of its Falcon 9 rocket, but nothing that the first stage, Airbus imagine him Ariane 6 100% reusable, almost. Former EADS unveiled Friday two projects in the greatest secrecy for over five years and be able to return its US competitor in innovation strings. There are enough! As simple in their qu’envoûtants concepts to imagine, these two projects suggest an unprecedented break in the launcher technologies, even if this is still at a very early stage.

Collect the engine

The starting predicate in reality is quite basic, explained François Auque, CEO of the space systems division Airbus: a Launcher consists of a main floor, which is the take off, and an upper floor, which provides satellite into orbit.

The first does not go very far, but it’s mostly the engine that is worth to be recovered because it is very expensive. For this, a handful of isolated Airbus engineers in a hangar site of Les Mureaux (Yvelines) (how Apple garage), have been working since 2008 to develop a demonstrator. Called “Adeline”, it looks like a first floor with two tail units able to return intact on a runway with two turboprop. It’s sort of a “kit” adaptable to any pitcher, summarizes Marc Prampolini, its inventor, who spent more than fifteen years on reusable launchers floor.

Once verified that it is fit for service, the motor can restart after one month another rocket (the time to prepare it), and so on ten to twenty times. “The solution is inherently very safe: it returns a plane which protects a motor” explains Hervé Gilibert, technical director of the division, with the key, he says, a gain 30% on the launch cost. First full test referred in 2018 for implementation in the middle of the next decade, provided of course that the European Space Agency convince member states to finance the project …

Double advantage

For the upper floor, it’s even more futuristic. As this floor goes a long way, it would take a lot of fuel to bring it back. Airbus has imagined something radically different: a vehicle, a sort of tug of space that rotates around the earth a few hundred kilometers altitude, and a rocket which brings the satellite and fuel for it could climb higher, release the satellite in its orbit, return on its “parking” and wait for its next mission (see video).

The advantage of the concept? It is double, assures Hervé Gilibert. The satellite does not need to be limited to fuel and payload. Lighter, so it is a priori less. Furthermore, the launcher that leads from the ground is not a great journey to join the tug. It is also cheaper. If, in addition, it is equipped with a main floor “Adeline” full circle

Ensure the economic model

Sci-fi? Maybe not, but it does not see the day, if that should be the case before 2035 should Airbus. It will still prove the feasibility of concepts, find financing, and – above all – to ensure that the economic model takes the road.

Adeline is more mature, but to become reality requires that the number of satellites to be launched per year is more important than it is now. In other words, the engine reuse will prove cheaper than making a new one, if the firing rates increase. The satellite constellation projects like Google show that it is the wind of history today. But after tomorrow?

For François Auque, priority “absolute” therefore remains to Ariane 6 Service in 2020 as planned, especially as the European space agency – the client – is impatient. For its reusable version, we’ll see.