Update March 6, 3:20 p.m. EST (2020 UTC): Arianespace confirms mission success and CNES confirmed acquisition of signal with the CSO-3 satellite.
Arianespace succeeded with the launch of the first Ariane 6 rocket of the year and the second in program history on Thursday, March 6.
The launch from French Guiana came following a mission scrub on Monday due to a ground system issue. Liftoff from Europe’s Spaceport happened at 1:24 p.m. Kourou time (11:24 a.m. EST, 1624 UTC).
“The second successful flight of Ariane 6 marks a significant milestone in Europe’s journey towards enhanced autonomous access to space,” said Josef Aschbacher, ESA’s Director General. “Ariane 6 is a bedrock of this endeavour, paving the way for a promising future for European space activities, alongside Vega-C and new European launchers on the horizon.
“This achievement would not have been possible without the dedication, collaboration, and hard work of our incredible teams. My heartfelt thanks go out to all colleagues who have made this monumental accomplishment possible. Together, we are elevating the future of Europe – and remember, it all starts with a launch.”
The mission was the first customer flight of the 56 m (184 ft) tall rocket, which once again used a short payload fairing (14-meters-long / 46-feet-long) and two P120C solid rocket motors. Unlike the first mission, all planned burns of the Vinci engine on the upper stage performed as expected.
“The first commercial launch of Ariane 6 demonstrates what will become regular with several Ariane 6 launches planned for 2025,” said Toni Tolker-Nielsen, ESA Director of Space Transportation. “The upper stage also showed its full potential, a unique piece of hardware that can ensure all types of missions to orbit while also actively avoid becoming space debris itself, reaffirming Europe’s commitment to minimize in-orbit space debris.”
Onboard the rocket was the third and final satellite for the French military’s Optical Space Component (CSO– Composante Spatiale Optique) program. Arianespace said the CSO-3 satellite will operate in concert with the CSO-1 satellite, launched on Dec. 19, 2018, and CSO-2, launched on Dec. 29, 2020, to help in providing defense and reconnaissance information for the French Air and Space Force’s Space Command (CDE).
“Positioned in Sun-synchronous orbits at different altitudes, the three satellites carry out two different missions: reconnaissance for CSO-1 and CSO-3, geared towards providing coverage, acquisition over theaters of operations and revisit capability, and identification for CSO-2, to supply the highest possible level of resolution, image quality and analytical precision,” said Arianespace in a press release.
The spacecraft is designed to have a 10-year lifespan and will be launched into a Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) at an altitude of about 800 km and an inclination of 98 degrees. It will deploy from the Ariane 6 rocket at about an hour and six minutes following liftoff.
The constellation of satellites for the CSO system will help bolster the Multinational Space-based Imaging System (MUSIS), which is led by the French Defence Procurement and Technology Agency (DGA). It tapped the French space agency (CNES) to manage the satellite contracts and launch procurement.
The CSO satellites are built by Airbus Defence and Space with Thales Alenia Space as the prime contractor for the spacecrafts’ very high resolution (VHR) optical imaging instrument.
