or how to make a rocket in 2023
This Wednesday, November 16, after several postponements, NASA’s SLS rocket – the one that will bring humans to the Moon as part of the Artemis programme – is scheduled to take off. 2022 was also marked by the launch of the European Space Agency’s new Vega-C launcher and also by the announcements of the development of microlaunchers, less than 30 metres high, The European Union’s Member States will also be able to offer access to space.
At the end of 2023, it will be the turn of Ariane 6, successor to the mythical Ariane 5 – which recently launched the James Webb Telescope in space, among its many missions (more than 110) and which is to take over from it but also from the Russian launcher Soyuz.
One of the objectives is to allow cheaper launches, especially in the face of competition from private launchers like SpaceX’s Falcon or Falcon Heavy which are partially reusable.
Nowadays, the new launchers must be efficient and light, but also the cheapest and most modular possible. All these requirements require permanent technological and industrial innovations and European cooperation to cover the costs.
How does a rocket work?
A rocket, or “launcher”, is a stack of pieces each of which has a role in forming a “stage”, a set of tanks supplying an engine. Each stage does its part of the mission to pull the vehicle from Earth’s gravity and take it to the satellite’s liberating orbit.
Rockets carry "objects" of various kinds, satellites of course, but also space probes that will explore the solar system, rovers to discover the surfaces of planets or comets, cargo for the international space station or even… This load is located at the top of the rocket, installed on the top floor, and bundled in the hood. It is designed to protect the fragile object on board and to be aerodynamic, meaning that its shape limits friction with air in the atmosphere to burn less fuel. Once at about 120 km altitude (after 3 minutes of flight on Ariane 5), there is almost no air and the protective cap can be dropped. Like a flower that opens, it separates into two large petals that detach from the rocket and fall back into the sea.
These last stages of the rocket are currently not recovered, but for environmental and economic issues, many studies are looking for solutions .