Ariane 6 – made in Norway

Norway’s icy landscapes are a dream for both Northern lights lovers and space fanatics. Since 1987, when Norway became a full member of the European Space Agency (ESA), over 1000 sounding rockets have been launched from Andøya including ESA microgravity experiments. Further north, Norway’s island of Svalbard hosts the largest ground station for Europe’s Galileo navigation satellite constellation as well as the largest ground tracking station for polar orbiting satellites.

Norway’s share of the Ariane 6 development programme up to the inaugural flight was 0.4%, with contributions by companies such as Kongsberg and Nammo supplying booster attachments, igniters, separation rocket motors, level conditioners and optical and mechanical safety barriers.

This series of articles is looking at the parts and components needed to assemble the Ariane 6 rocket – supplied by companies from the 13 ESA Member States participating to the Ariane 6 programme. Together they contribute the best of their know-how to build Europe's heavy-lift launcher under the guidance of main contractor ArianeGroup who also designed the Ariane 6 rocket.

Kongsberg – holding on to the boosters – and letting go

Kongsberg provides the booster attachment and release mechanisms, level conditioners and optical safety barriers for Ariane 6 rockets.

The boosters on the Ariane 6 need to be held tight to the central core, but also released when needed, Kongsberg takes care of this grasping and releasing the boosters after all the fuel has been used – about two minutes after liftoff. During liftoff, the booster attachment ensures the power from the booster engines is transferred safely to the lower part of the launcher.

Kongsberg also supplies level conditioner units, electronic devices that help measure the level of liquid oxygen and hydrogen in Ariane 6’s tanks. These units work throughout the Ariane 6 flight: confirming the tanks are full before liftoff, reporting fuel levels during flight and stopping engine control when empty. Each Ariane 6 typically contains 25 level conditioner units.

Lastly, Kongsberg supplies Ariane 6’s optical safety barrier that ensures the pyrotechnic control system used to self-destruct the rocket in case of a launch failure can never be triggered accidentally. The pyrotechnics use fibre-optics for control, so the safety barrier blocks or lets light pass as needed. Called OptoPyro the system replaces traditional “electro-pyro” systems that use electricity to trigger small explosives. The optical system makes installation and checking before launch easier.

Nammo Raufoss Space – igniting rockets

Nammo Raufoss Space provides the igniters for Ariane 6’s solid rocket motors, and small separation rocket motors that push the boosters away from the main launcher once they have run out of fuel, as well as mechanical safety barriers.

The igniter is a small rocket motor in itself: 27 kg of solid propellant provides a spark that kicks off the booster combustion to make the rocket go up in the sky. The igniter’s newly-developed hardware is made of carbon-fibre composite and aluminium built to be light-weight while still withstanding the intense forces of launch.

Nammo Raufoss Space provides another rocket motor on the booster, at the top this small motor is ignited once the boosters have burnt all their fuel and pushes them away and free from the ascending central core.

Nammo also supplies elements for the safe-and-arm device that complements Kongberg’s OptyPyro. As the pyrothecnics are such a mission-critical element – nobody wants detonation too soon, or a command not executed when instructed – Nammo delivers elements of its tried-and-tested electro-pyro system that flew on Ariane 5 for decades.