The European Space Agency’s Ariane 6 rocket has successfully completed a dress rehearsal, testing its engines in preparation for the maiden voyage scheduled for 2024.
The final results of Thursday’s ignition test, which involved starting the Vulcan 2.1 engine and running it for more than seven minutes, will not be released until Nov. 30 pending full analysis.
But producer Arianegroup has already called the rehearsals “successfully completed”.
The hot-fire test at Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana “simulated a complete launch sequence and thus validated the entire flight phase of the Ariane 6 core stage,” it said in a statement.
Arianegroup CEO Martin Sion praised the team for a “real industrial achievement”, but added that “some additional testing”, particularly fault tolerance, was needed before the rocket was ready for launch.