ArianeGroup

Built to survive Mars. But first, it has to prove it. Designing thermal protection is only half the job. Before it's cleared for flight, ArianeGroup puts it through the fire, literally. To recreate the extreme heat of atmospheric entry, ArianeGroup uses its own machine: a plasma torch called SIMOUN. Think of it as an artificial furnace, powerful enough to reach the same temperatures the shield will face on Mars, using the same gases found in its atmosphere. 🔥 That's not the only test it goes through, it's also bent, shaken, and checked piece by piece before being validated as a whole. 💬 Once this thermal protection is qualified, there's another challenge to tackle, an invisible one this time. Any guesses what it is? #RocketMakers #Civil #ExoMars

Rockets aren't built by machines. They're built by people. Every Ariane 6 launch is the result of thousands of precise operations carried out by operators, technicians and coordinators whose expertise turns individual components into a launcher ready for flight. Digital tools support the process. But precision, craftsmanship and teamwork remain profoundly human. Because before Ariane 6 leaves the ground, it is first built by the people behind every launch. To apply, visit our career page here : https://lnkd.in/dzCftctb #RocketMakers #ArianeGroup

Behind Ariane 6, there isn't just one team. There are more than 600 companies, across thirteen European countries, working together toward the same goal: guaranteeing Europe's own access to space. It's a program built on cooperation as much as on engineering, thousands of people across the continent, each contributing a piece of something far bigger than themselves. That's what makes Ariane 6 more than a launcher. It's a shared European ambition, brought to life. #RocketMakers #Civil #Ariane6

One material, engineered for the extremes of deep space. At its Issac site, ArianeGroup designs and manufactures the thermal protection for Rosalind Franklin's front shield, back shell, telemetry antennas, and the thermal seal between them. The key material? Norcoat® Liège HPK, an ultra-lightweight material capable of withstanding extreme temperatures within a compact footprint, developed and used by ArianeGroup for over 25 years on Mars missions. What does it have to withstand? It has to survive 24 months in deep space, exposed to radiation and thermal cycling ranging from -110°C to +80°C, without degrading. It also has to meet strict space-grade outgassing standards (ESA ECSS), so it doesn't release contaminants that could damage sensitive equipment nearby. And despite all these constraints, it still needs to stay light enough not to compromise the spacecraft's overall mass budget. 💬 How can you be sure the thermal protection will really hold up once it reaches Mars? #RocketMakers #Civil #ExoMars

German space minister visits ArianeGroup. We were thrilled to welcome the Federal Minister of Research, Technology and Space Dorothee Bär to our site in Le Haillan. The site near Bordeaux is crucial for the solid propulsion technology also used in the Ariane 6 boosters. As a French-German company, ArianeGroup builds the European heavy launcher on its sites in France and in Germany, coordinating a network of more than 600 industrial partners in 13 European countries. Welcomed by ArianeGroup CEO Christophe Bruneau, Chief Industrial Officer Dr.-Ing. Jens Franzeck and Chief Human Resources Officer Cornelia THIEME, the delegation of Minister Bär could see firsthand how our industrial setup in the Nouvelle Aquitaine region fits in the picture of European and French-German cooperation in space technology. #RocketMakers

22,000 km/h. 1,800°C. And yet, it has to hold. Entering the Martian atmosphere, the capsule carrying the Rosalind Franklin rover will have to brake sharply from a speed of 22,000 km/h, and that's exactly where ArianeGroup's thermal protection systems come in. At that speed, friction with the atmosphere pushes the heatshield's surface temperature above 1,800°C. Just behind it, only a few centimetres away, the structure must stay below 100°C. At 3.80 metres in diameter, this heatshield has no equivalent ever built in Europe. 💬 How do you insulate against heat like that with just 1cm of material? #RocketMakers #Civil #ExoMars Société des Lièges HPK

Ariane 6 now has its own coins. 🪙 Germany and Switzerland have each issued a collector coin featuring Ariane 6. The German coin is the first of a series of five coins dedicated to space exploration, its design was selected through a competition among artists, with ArianeGroup taking part in the jury. The Swiss coin features the top of the launcher and its fairing on one side, and Earth, the Moon and Mars on the other, framed by ESA's motto "Elevating the future of Europe." #RocketMakers #Civil

Ariane 6 taking center stage at the International Space Summit A model of Ariane 64 - the most powerful version of the heavy launcher with four boosters - is towering over this week‘s summit at the Grand Palais in Paris. Ariane 6 is also at the heart of Europe‘s access to space in an evolving geopolitical context. Bringing together policymakers and industry leaders from all over the world, the event co-hosted by France and Germany focused on the importance of space for strategic autonomy and defense. As a French-German company in the space and defense sector developing solutions for European sovereignty, ArianeGroup is fitting right in! #RocketMakers

You can make the next flight happen and be part of the supply chain team…be a #rocketmarkers

Let’s be a #rocketmakers and contribute to the next Ariane6 flight