Successful Final Hot-firing Test of Ariane 6 Upper Stage

The last hot firing test of the Ariane 6 upper stage was completed successfully on April 12 at the German Aerospace Center DLR P5.2 test stand in Lampoldshausen.

The aim of this test was to gather further data for future Ariane 6 missions after its inaugural flight. The test focused on demonstrating operation of the upper stage under non-nominal conditions (deviations from the normal operating conditions expected during flight), notably of the APU (Auxiliary Propulsion Unit) which is unique hardware that allows Ariane 6 to be a versatile launcher and launch a diverse roster of missions. DLR and ArianeGroup teams carried out a test sequence profile that, included loading the stage tanks and preparing itfor flight. The test included three long APU boosts that lasted for a total duration of 66 minutes.

This test follows from a test in September 2023 which successfully tested the upper stage’s overall operations for first flight qualification. The success of this last test concludes the hot- firing test campaign on the upper stage.