As the successor to the Ariane 5 launcher, for which voestalpine BÖHLER Edelstahl manufactured the launcher housing, the first Ariane 6 took off on its inaugural flight from the ESA spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, at the beginning of July after a good ten years of development. It could take off because voestalpine is once again on board.
Several European countries launched the Ariane space program in 1973, which was intended to secure Europe’s independent access to space. As a highly reliable launcher system “made in Europe”, the Ariane 5 rocket was used many times between 1996 and 2023 to transport up to eleven tons of weight into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO), i.e. the orbit in which satellites are released from launch vehicles – a total of around 100 satellites and space probes. The European ATV (Automated Transfer Vehicle) space freighters were also transported to the ISS, the International Space Station, by Ariane 5.
In view of the competition, not only on the government side, but also from increasingly established private providers, the ESA (European Space Agency) decided in 2014 to launch the development of a new launch vehicle to fly into space. The new heavy-lift rocket was to be significantly more cost-effective than its predecessor, so in order to be more competitive, the components were simplified and made smaller by the track. We already supplied a component for the launch system for Ariane 5, but different materials are now being used for Ariane 6 in view of the cost-efficiency requirements and the design has also changed.
We had our foot in the door at ESA with the existing approval for Ariane 5, so ESA wanted to continue to rely on our expertise and the precision of voestalpine BÖHLER Edelstahl. In 2018, the first prototypes of the starter housing were finally delivered to ESA and put through their paces on the test benches under laboratory conditions. Following these successful tests, voestalpine BÖHLER Edelstahl was able to secure the series orders for the starter housings and housing covers for the starter of the upper stage turbopump of the Vinci rocket engine.
Despite a technical problem with an auxiliary drive towards the end of the flight phase, the inaugural flight in July was a complete success. The successful launch phase of the flight from Kourou was followed by a technical demonstration phase – a test phase used to test the rocket’s functionality in the air and in space. In this way, functions are checked and situations analyzed that cannot be simulated on the ground. “With this flight, Europe has regained autonomous access to space,” says the ESA.
For voestalpine BÖHLER Edelstahl, the starter housing components for the Ariane are more than just prestige products. Because beyond the pure material production of rolled and forged steel bars, a ready-to-install high-tech component is manufactured into which the ignition mechanism is installed and which is closed with the cover, also manufactured by voestalpine BÖHLER Edelstahl.
This means that not only primary material is supplied, but also a ready-to-install component. From the melting of the nickel-based alloy to its remelting, forging and heat treatment through to testing and finishing, everything comes from a single source – ours. As the products and solutions from voestalpine BÖHLER Edelstahl are not only in great demand in the aerospace industry, but also in aviation, the Ariane components are also a quality benchmark for this sector. Anyone who fulfills the quality criteria for space travel also has strong arguments as an aviation supplier.
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Die voestalpine ist ein weltweit führender Stahl- und Technologiekonzern mit kombinierter Werkstoff- und Verarbeitungskompetenz. Die global tätige Unternehmensgruppe verfügt über rund 500 Konzerngesellschaften und -standorte in mehr als 50 Ländern auf allen fünf Kontinenten. Sie notiert seit 1995 an der Wiener Börse. Mit ihren Premium-Produkt- und Systemlösungen zählt sie zu den führenden Partnern der Automobil- und Hausgeräteindustrie sowie der Luftfahrt- und Öl- & Gasindustrie und ist darüber hinaus Weltmarktführer bei Bahninfrastruktursystemen, bei Werkzeugstahl und Spezialprofilen. Die voestalpine bekennt sich zu den globalen Klimazielen und verfolgt mit greentec steel einen klaren Plan zur Dekarbonisierung der Stahlproduktion.
