ESA’s Ariane 6 launch vehicle, on which the deployment of the EU’s Galileo GNSS satellite constellation now depends, has taken another step towards first flight. A fresh series of hot fire tests of the rocket’s upper stage and all-new Vinci engine is now underway at Germany’s DLR center for engine and stage testing in Lampoldshausen. The tests, which began on 5 October 2022 within the specially-built P5.2 test bench, are a significant step forward for the flagship program. The test bench subjects the entire upper stage to all of the conditions under which it will operate during a real flight from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, with the exception of vacuum and microgravity. The Russia-EU schism resulted in the Galileo launch scheduled for April 2022 being cancelled and there is now a backlog of ten first-generation Galileo satellites completed and ready for lift-off. Ariane 6 is tentatively scheduled to launch for the first time in 2023, and Benedicto said ESA expects Galileo to be among its first passengers.
