What does the future hold for the Guiana Space Center?
Ariane 6, microlaunchers and modernization.
Issue 62 Subscribers 2,381.
To my 49 new subscribers, enjoy your first issue and, as always, if you have any comments, suggestions, or tips, you can reply to this email.
What does the future hold for the Guiana Space Center?
A total of three launches are confirmed to be taking place from the Guiana Space Center (GSC) in 2023. A maiden Ariane 6 flight and the Vega C return-to-flight mission may bump that up to five, but in all likelihood, three is all we're going to get. The response to this low launch cadence from the facility has been to call it an unprecedented crisis. Is it, though? I endeavoured to find out if there was historical precedence. I was also interested in the impact that the introduction of Ariane 6 will have on GSC and the employees who staff the facility.
I had initially planned to take a look at the history of GSC first, but the Smithsonian Magazine recently published an article entitled How a Jungle Prison Became a Famous Spaceport and the author has done a much better job than I ever could. I highly recommend the article for further ready.
Historical precedent
In 2003, the final flight of Ariane 4 was launched from GSC. That year, a total of four flights were launched from the facility with the remaining three aboard Ariane 5 G vehicles. Interestingly, the last flight of the year, which took place on 27 September, was also the final flight of the Ariane 5 G variant a flight that carried ESA's Rosetta mission. The maiden flight of the Ariane 5 G+ took place in March 2004 and was one of just three flights launched that year from GSC.
The launch cadence of Ariane 5 slowly increased with five launches in 2005 and 2006, six launches in 2007 and 2008, and seven launches in 2009. Ariane 5 would never exceed seven launches a year, but GSC would thanks to the introduction of Soyuz in 2011 and Vega in 2012. Following the introduction of the new vehicles, an average of 10 flights were launched from GSC each year from 2012 to 2018. In 2019, the launch cadence of the facility dipped below 10 launches a year and continued to fall year after year.
The dip could be explained by the Vega failure in 2019, which was the start of the vehicle’s trouble with reliability with failures also occurring in 2020 and 2022. However, the struggles of Vega weren’t the only cause. Ariane 5 flights had decreased significantly in the preceding years as Europe began preparations for the introduction of Ariane 6, which had been slated to debut in 2020. However, as Ariane 6 was delayed again and again, Ariane 5 was left to slowly approach retirement with three launches a year from 2020 without a replacement ready to take over from it.
It’s all but confirmed that Ariane 6 won’t be debuted in 2023. However, a successful early 2024 debut could allow Arianespace enough time to launch a second or even third Ariane 6 flight over the rest of the year. Additionally, a successful reintroduction of Vega C may allow the vehicle to add two or three of its own flights. This would mean approximately 5 or 6 flights being launched from GSC in 2024, which is well in line with historical precedent on the launch cadence front. As a result, I don’t think three launches in 2023 is unprecedented. That is, however, not to say that’s not concerning. This outlook really is the rosiest interpretation of the situation. If Avio continues to struggle to return Vega C to flight, and ArianeGroup doesn’t manage a flawless introduction of Ariane 6, it’s entirely possible that 2024 may well result in a record-low launch cadence for GSC.
190 GSC jobs to be lost
Adding to the concerns of the operations of GSC is the need to shed at least 190 jobs. The required reduction in the facility’s staff complement is due to the retirement of Ariane 5 and the introduction of Ariane 6.
Ariane 6 is expected to be approximately 40% cheaper than Ariane 5. A large element of these savings is thanks to quicker turnaround times at GSC and more automation during the assembly process. According to reports, Ariane 6 mission campaigns will be approximately nine days compared to one month for Ariane 5. The on-the-ground effect of all this is that many of the 1,580 people employed by the facility will no longer have a job.
Two years ago, CNES identified 300 positions that would be eliminated following the introduction of Ariane 6. Following discussions with trade unions, the list was cut to 190 jobs of which 40 will be seconded positions and 150 will be local contract positions. These jobs are spread over approximately 40 companies that operate at the spaceport.
On 16 June, following four months of negotiations, an inter-union group made up of representatives from CFE-CGC, FO, and UTG signed an agreement with UEBS, Arianespace, ArianeGroup, and CNES. Under the agreement, a severance package of six months will be offered to employees willing to voluntarily be one of the 190 to depart. Volunteer employees will also be able to benefit from aid that can be used to either create businesses or to get involved in a project that will benefit French Guiana. According to reports, some employees from the 40 or so affected companies have expressed interest in accepting the terms. The process will continue for approximately one year with the offer expiring in March 2024.
The future of the Guiana Space Center
GSC currently sports a number of launch sites that are not in use or that about to be decommissioned. The Ariane 4 site is long since decommissioned, the status of the Soyuz site appears to be in limbo, and the Ariane 5 site is set to host just one more flight. This means only the dual-use Vega (Vega and Vega-C) and the new Ariane 6 launch sites will be operational following the retirement of Ariane 5. That will, however, not be the case for long.
In 1976, the final Diamant rocket was launched from GSC following which its launch site was boarded up and left to be reclaimed by the jungle. That was, however, until an agreement that would see the revitalization of the decommissioned launch site to host hop tests of the reusable Themis and Callisto booster demonstrators. The revitalization of a whole launch site did, however, sound like a lot of effort for a few test flights.
In March 2021 CNES announced that it would be opening up the new Diamant launch site to commercial microlauncher providers. At the time, CNES "base of the future" project manager Massimo Ferlin called the effort "a major opportunity for GCS."
Unlike most facilities that offer dedicated launch sites, the upgraded Diamant site would have common infrastructure for a large number of operators.
"The main idea is pooling, with a single launch set to accommodate all the microlaunchers," explained CNES "Innovation and preparation of the future of the Base" at CSG project manager Nathalie Costedoat. "The preparation and integration of the launchers will take place in a rear area located about 1 km away, where each company will be able to have mobile equipment."
According to CNES, the new facility will be ready to host a maiden launch by 2025. The agency has stated that the new facility will be able to handle a high launch rate while guaranteeing the safety and reliability of operations.
In July 2022, CNES pre-selected Avio, HyImpulse, Isar Aerospace, MaiaSpace, PLD Space, Rocket Factory Augsburg, and Latitude. The agency explained that it would enter into discussions with each company to determine each project’s technical and financial feasibility before officially granting access. To date, only Isar Aerospace, PLD Space, and Rocket Factory Augsburg have signed binding term sheets granting the operators access to the new facility.
The Diamant site is, however, not the only element of GSC that's being upgraded for the future. The GSC New Generation (GSC-NG) project was launched in 2019 with a budget of €140 million. The project calls for a wide range of upgrades to the spaceport including increased ground resources (including the new Amazonie 2 radar station), a new operations center, new environmentally conscious energy production facilities, improved infrastructure relating to drinking water, the digitization of the spaceport, and the improvement of clean rooms. The GSC-NG project is slated to be completed in 2025. The Flexible Digital & Sustainable/Carbon Neutral (FDS) project was launched in 2022 with a budget of €104 million. The aim of the project is to reduce the carbon footprint of the spaceport by reducing energy consumption and conducting greening actions. FDS also has a focus on the digital transformation of the spaceport. The project will run until 2027.
Conclusion
The Guiana Space Center is ready to support Ariane 6 and Vega C flights. The spaceport is also well on its way to supporting a number of microlauncher providers and the testing of Europe’s future reusable launch vehicle technology. The facility has a proud history as one of the world’s oldest spaceports and looks set to continue that legacy well into the future both on the institutional and the commercial side of European spaceflight.
But wait, there’s more…
Last week, I published the first op-ed on the European Spaceflight website which was provided by Rocket Factory Augsburg. This is something I planned to do for some time but I wanted to wait for the right piece. I finally found it. The thought-provoking piece discusses what needs to change in order to tackle Europe's current launch capability crisis. The company outlines 5 key steps that will be necessary to maintain Europe’s sovereign access to space. I was incredibly proud to be able to amplify this important issue.
What does the reduction in the number of jobs mean to the expected price reduction?
Presumably that 40% is no longer achievable, even without considering the inflation? So as the increased cost and delays already reduced the investment side, the intended price reduction/competitiveness of the project is also going to be a disaster?
Have they made even more savings in the production process (in Europe) to offset some of these launch costs in Guiana ? Or do they now expect an increase in flight frequency to offset some of the jobs they initially expected to cut? The Amazon Kuiper award was probably not calculated for when they did the Ariane 6numbers in 2014.
"Ariane 6 is expected to be approximately 40% cheaper than Ariane 5 ...
The on-the-ground effect of all this is that many of the 1,580 people employed by the facility will no longer have a job. ... CNES identified 300 positions that would be eliminated following the introduction of Ariane 6. Following discussions with trade unions, the list was cut to 190 jobs of which 40 will be seconded positions and 150 will be local contract positions. "
Привет, можно провести сравнительный обзор Ариан 5 и Ариан 6, или пока рано т.к. Ариан 6 ещё не взлетела?