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A.P.P. Arianespace Maiaspace Nucletudes Pyroalliance Sodern
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A.P.P. Arianespace Maiaspace Nucletudes Pyroalliance Sodern

A year on from its launch, the innovation-boosting acceleration platform ArianeWorks is flying high

Hand in hand

04.03.2020

One year ago, ArianeWorks was set up by ArianeGroup and French space agency CNES. We look back over its first 12 months and stargaze into its future.

12 months of great teamwork

The watchwords of this novel partnership, dedicated to preparing the launchers of the future, have always been teamwork and rapidity, driven by a real quest for innovation. A main aim is the development of a low-cost reusable rocket first-stage demonstrator, called Themis.

It took the ArianeWorks team just a few months to sketch out the first design for this 30-metre high biomethane-fueled vehicle which will be powered by three new-generation Prometheus® motors.

From the outset, ArianeWorks has attracted international talent through its doors and there are now five industry partners contributing ideas, cutting-edge technology and know-how to the Themis initiative: ONERA (France), ADF-LATESYS (France), APCO Technologies SA (Switzerland), RUAG (Switzerland), and SABCA (Belgium).

ArianeWorks and myCTO showcased their fruitful collaboration at several industry events during the year, highlighting the value of the diversity and resources of the Ariane ecosystem.

By the end of 2019, the drive and efforts of the ArianeWorks partners resulted in a milestone achievement: the buy-in of the European Space Agency (ESA) and its Member States into the Themis project, formalized by an initial budget of €35 million attributed at ESA’s Ministerial Conference in Seville.

Eight days was all it took to put contracts in place and within three months, the prototype design emerged, focusing on a small demonstrator vehicle, developed by Planète Sciences and Polyvionics, with contributions from the Cachan Technology Institute and Innovlab.

Robotic connection and disconnection operations in partnership with Shark Robotics, measurement techniques using smart paint, fiber-optic networks to gauge damage to the launcher – these are all part of the busy and exciting programme awaiting ArianeWorks!

After only one year, there is no shortage of innovative ways to accelerate the creation of the launchers of the future. ArianeWorks is truly flying and its story has only just begun!