Vulcain 2.1 igniter for Ariane 6

Igniter for Vulcain 2.1 main engine for the Ariane 6 rocket.

In the village of Klundert at the end of the river Maas, around 40 people work at Aerospace Propulsion Products, APP, now part of ArianeGroup. These people specialise in rocket engine ignitions. It’s a niche market, as they have one job to do: provide the flame to get a rocket reaction going. A hugely important component though: if they don’t ignite the whole launch countdown would be rather uneventful, ending on a whimper instead of a roar.

Flying a rocket is literally rocket science, but just starting a rocket is a complex feat in itself. For the Ariane 6 core stage it is a two-step process. First the gas-generator needs to be started, where APP’s starter provides hot gas to kick-start the turbo-pump. In parallel, an APP igniter provides a flame that starts the combustion in the gas-generator, after which the turbo-pump starts pushing the propellant to the main engine’s combustion chamber.

The igniters and starters that APP builds for the main Vulcain 2.1 engine are pretty much miniature solid-rocket motors in themselves – but shoebox-sized instead of meters tall. Like the large Ariane 6 boosters, the igniters and starters are filled with a solid fuel in a star-like shape and a small spark ignites the solid fuel, creating a powerful flame.