Airbus factory in the Netherlands

Main thrust frame for Ariane 6 rocket at the Dutch Airbus factory near Leiden, the Netherlands, where the thrust frames for Europe’s new rocket are produced. These aluminium structures serve the sole purpose of securing the rocket engines in place – relative to the rest of the Ariane 6 – evenly distributing the thrust across the rocket's structure and efficiently transferring it to the core stage. This ensures the rocket accelerates in the correct direction, as it propels into space far beyond the speed of sound.

Airbus Netherlands supplies two thrust frames for each Ariane 6, one for the main Vulcain engine, and one for the upper stage Vinci engine. Airbus in the Netherlands is no stranger to developing thrust frames, as they were the prime company supplying the frames on the Ariane 5 series of rockets.

The two thrust frames are designed and built to ensure they are lightweight and can accommodate the myriad of fuel lines, electric wires and cables that need to pass through the frame and reach the engine for control and fuel supply.

While the Ariane 6 engines  generate immense thrust, Airbus’s state-of-the-art construction assembly requires only 16 bolts to secure Vulcain 2.1 to its thrust frame – which is assembled with a drilling and riveting robot.

Thanks to integrally-milled structural components, the upper stage thrust frame is made up of just 11 parts – compared to over 1000 parts in the Ariane 5 structure – this leap ahead comes thanks to advanced manufacturing techniques. The newer models are lighter and require less manual effort to manufacture and are more cost-effective due to their innovative design and ‘Industry 4.0’ production process.

The frames take about a year to produce from start to finish, spending between three to nine months in the factory near Leiden. The upper stage thrust frame weighs just 330 kg and is shipped to Bremen, Germany, for integration with the Vinci engine and upper stage. The main stage thrust frame, weighs 4690 kg and is 5.1 m tall and 5.4 m in diameter.  It leaves the Airbus factory for Les Mureaux, France, by boat because of its size. There it is connected to the Vulcain 2.1 engine and the Main stage.