Godspeed! I don’t think Ariane 6 will go down in history as a successful rocket, mostly on account of the shift in economics forced on the rest of the industry by SpaceX. But I do get excited for debut launches – some very clever people worked very hard on this. :)
Outside an atmosphere like Earth’s, everything is already exposed to intense ionizing radiation from the sun/stars. A bit more from an RTG, even a big one, is a drop in the ocean. If we found signs of extraterrestrial life, then we’d want to be extra cautious about not sterilizing by accident, but that’s not currently a major concern. And of course, any sort of nuclear rocket propulsion would need to be handed with utmost care, but it’s also not a major issue once it’s outside the atmosphere.
first phase began in the second half of 2024 and focused on identifying the technology maturation needs
also included an assessment of potential commercial applications
While the call did not provide much additional detail, it does note that Phase 2 will involve early long-lead technology maturation and demonstration activities.
I wonder how dual-use the technology is. A submarine-based nuclear strike capability could be useful to a country in Poland’s location, as could the hint of one, or the suggestion of being able to contribute to a joint European one.
I would suggest that this project, that is part ran by the Military Institute of Armament Technology, is not particularly dual use - in that the research benefit of suborbital single stage rockets is vanishingly slim. It is however immediately apparent how much military utility such a launch system has…
Edit: actually on reflection its research capability has become clear to me - it will be extremely useful for researchers who are trying to advance the technology in the fields of ICBM guidance, control, navigation, targeting etc modules.
The system is designed to be initially 20 square centimeters in size but would inflate about 7,500 times larger to around 1.5 square meters, increasing atmospheric drag to accelerate deorbiting.
The only thing more impressive than seeing that expand out would be watching them pack it down.
After decades of camping, I only recently found out most (modern) sleeping bags are actually meant to be stuffed in their bags, not rolled up. Just kinda keep stuffing it in there and they seem to naturally fill gaps better than if they were rolled up first, so they’re easier and much faster to pack away.
If your day is just starting, maybe you need a coffee. There’s a distinct difference between Aryan (or Aryen in French) and Ariane (or Ariane in French).
Different words in different languages sounding the same is a wild launch to a crusade in 2025. Wait until you hear about Ariana Grande… the most Grand of all the Aryans. I know the additional letters won’t fool you.
esa
Ważne
Magazyn ze zdalnego serwera może być niekompletny. Zobacz więcej na oryginalnej instancji.