The European Space Agency (ESA) awarded European Aeronautic Defense and Space (EADS) subsidiary Astrium nearly $147 million in contracts to study toward the development of the Ariane 6 and Ariane 5 Midlife Evolution (ME) launchers, according to a company statement.
Expected to last six months, the study phase aims to identify the concept and architecture for the Ariane 6 European launcher and will set out the launcher’s main specifications before its industrial development.
An outline of Ariane 6’s design has already been established. It will be a modular rocket with a payload capacity of three to 6.5 metric tons in geostationary orbit (GEO). Dubbed PPH, the launcher’s configuration comprises two lower stages, in which solid propellant is used, and a cryogenic upper stage, powered by a Vinci restartable engine. Astrium will study the various possible PPH configurations and propose the best solution for meeting the program’s technical and scheduling objectives while also keeping to the target budget of nearly $95 million.
Astrium will continue development of Ariane 5 ME, the modernized version of Ariane 5, which will boost launch capacity by 20-percent compared to existing launchers. Ministers from ESA states are shooting for a maiden flight in 2017 or 2018.