Technological innovation for the future
Technological innovation, research and excellence are at the heart of ArianeGroup’s identity and deeply rooted in the culture of our teams. Their expertise, enthusiasm and diversity enable them to look to the future and make the impossible possible. At ArianeGroup, progress is our guiding principle and we innovate for our customers and their missions. We also innovate for a better life on Earth, in line with our mission.
Making future missions and applications possible
Across ArianeGroup, innovation and R&T aim to conceive and provide our customers with novel, competitive solutions to make tomorrow’s space and defence missions possible. With sovereignty as a common denominator, our activities range from spacecraft concepts and systems for missions to, in and from space, and the equipment and services that contribute to their performance.
Our research is designed to strengthen our core business activities for our customers, and to explore new avenues for growth in new markets. Assessing and maturing key technologies are the waymarkers on our roadmap which promotes synergies and cross-fertilisation between technical fields. Our goal is to identify potential disruptive innovations as early as possible, in order to enhance competitiveness and bring new capabilities promptly to the market.
A broad spectrum of innovation and research
Because of ArianeGroup’s high level of integration, civil/military duality and the huge diversity of products and businesses, our innovation and research activities have an extremely broad scope. There are fundamental technologies, such as chemicals for propulsion, where we are looking for example for new, greener propellants, including the use of water and energetic materials. Thermal protection and high-performance composite materials designed for high-temperature uses, engines and atmospheric re-entry, or to reduce vehicle weight. Avionics and flight software for guidance and navigation, as well as energy generation.
We also research and innovate in solid, storable liquid and cryogenic propulsion technologies, and in electric technology for space propulsion, developing reuse technologies and new uses of hydrogen for heavy-duty transport. Our activities extend to new concepts for rocket stages, spacecraft and systems, and demonstrators – we are leading several major demonstration programmes, such as Themis on the reuse of launcher stages, for the European Space Agency (ESA).
Key Strategic Initiatives for defence
We also innovate for our customers through Key Strategic Initiatives (KSIs), to identify and invest in new products and markets and develop new drivers of growth. Our first initiative concerning hypersonic systems involves developing hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) technologies and applying them to next-generation defence systems. This KSI is conducted through the V-MAX demonstration programme, for which ArianeGroup is industrial prime contractor to the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA).
Another KSI relates to space warfare, in particular space situational awareness (SSA) for civil and defence applications, space traffic management, and command and control systems for space operations. This initiative delivered the Helix space surveillance service we provide to the Space Command (CDE) of the French Air and Space Force, and which is also used in the civilian sector.
Manned spaceflight and hydrogen mobility
Human spaceflight is another KSI, and a field where both ArianeGroup and Arianespace are undertaking various studies for ESA. This initiative has led to the development of new concepts for space-based activity, including cargo missions and human spaceflight.
Lastly, our expertise in liquid hydrogen management makes ArianeGroup the ideal tech partner for new air, sea and land heavy-duty mobility applications and markets, including ground-based storage and refuelling infrastructure, equipment, integrated sub-systems and services. This KSI is implemented notably through the support we provide to Airbus and Safran on several joint projects aiming to reduce the carbon footprint of civil aviation by the use of different types of propulsion which use liquid hydrogen stored on board.
Driving our innovation culture
Our commitment to innovate across the board is a key value of our leadership model. We promote and pursue this commitment in different ways, both in and across our design and production processes. In design, we are developing and expanding the application of eco-design and agile methods, particularly in our subsidiary MaiaSpace. We also aim to take full advantage of end-to-end digital transformation, virtual reality and new production technologies, which we integrate at the very beginning of the design process. Rapid prototyping, 3D metal printing and additive layer manufacturing (ALM) allow us to improve cycle times and produce parts that would otherwise be too complex, too costly or even impossible to manufacture. As a result, both weight and cost of parts are reduced.
We have also rolled out processes across the company to encourage input from our employees, including Calls for Innovation, continuous improvement and innovation on the ground. For example, our Participative Initiatives system recognises practical initiatives taken by teams in areas such as technology, competitiveness, process streamlining, reducing the carbon footprint, digitisation and workplace safety.