Qualification of the Upgraded ARIANE 5 ECA Launcher

Paper number

IAC-05-D2.1.04

Author

Mr. Lionel Ravet, Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), France

Year

2005

Abstract

Since the European Space Agency Council meeting of May 2003, following the failure of the first qualification flight of the new upgraded Ariane 5 ECA launcher, a recovery plan has been decided and applied.
The baseline scenario consisted in re-establishing the qualification status of the Ariane 5 ECA version, as the future “workhorse” of the Ariane exploitation. The following consolidation activities have been identified and completed:
-rework of the Vulcain 2 engine nozzle and qualification tests,
-consolidation of ESC-A cryogenic upper stage justifications, particularly as regards thermal and dynamic environment, ignition conditions of the engine,
-extensive review of all components of the launcher system, application of lesson learned from the Inquiry Board, including cross check verification for critical issues,
-achievement of two dress rehearsals on the launch pad before flight.
All qualification work has been extensively assessed by numerous reviews and has confirmed the validity of the Vulcain 2 engine anomaly correction and the robustness of the qualification at launcher level.
After the success of the qualification flight on February 12, 2005, the new upgraded Ariane 5 ECA version is now ready for a competitive exploitation by Arianespace.

Abstract document

IAC-05-D2.1.04.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-05-D2.1.04.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.