Acoustic test of the four-booster configuration Ariane 6 upper stage

The Ariane 6 upper stage has been put through tests at different acoustic levels to confirm its ability to undergo a launch in the four-booster Ariane 64 configuration.

With four boosters, the acoustic energy generated by the Ariane 64 launcher is around 60% higher than for the two-booster Ariane 62 configuration used for the inaugural flight.

The success of these tests qualifies the upper stage for the Ariane 64 configuration which will begin flying in 2025, and confirms the robustness and resistance of its equipment to the acoustic waves generated by lift-off with four boosters of 142 tons each.

The tests were carried out by ArianeGroup teams at the European Space Agency’s ESTEC (European Space Research and Technology Centre) institute in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, using the upper stage hot-fire test model (HFM) which had already carried out a hot-fire test campaign on the German Aerospace Center (DLR) test site in Lampoldshausen, Germany, between 2022 and 2024.