ArianeGroup lays the foundation stone for the Ariane 6 integration hall extension in Bremen

• Bremen Ariane 6 Upperstage Integration Hall is a  lighthouse project for ArianeGroup and Germany
• Close cooperation between ArianeGroup and MT Aerospace, another factor for the future success of Ariane 6
• Ariane 6 maiden flight planned for mid-2020

ArianeGroup has laid the foundation stone for the extension of the Ariane 6 Upper stage integration hall building at its Bremen site. The new building will be 6,000 square meters and 21 meters high. Turnkey delivery of the facility is planned for end2018.

For Ariane 6, up to 12 upper stages will be produced in Bremen every year, more than are produced for the current Ariane 5. In order to achieve this, ArianeGroup, is implementing a raft of innovations into effect, making the Bremen center a benchmark ArianeGroup site. These include, for instance, replacing complicated chemical processes by laser systems for surface treatments and  using ‘augmented reality’ technologies. The objective is  to reduce cycles and procedures and applying automation. The effect is a remarkable increase in engineering efficiency, with processes now taking only minutes where previously days where needed, that puts the space industry right at the cutting edge of high-tech activities, with ArianeGroup in Bremen as a trailblazer.

Another factor in the future success of Ariane 6 is ArianeGroup’s close cooperation with MT Aerospace – the two companies are literally working side by side, with the OHB subsidiary producing upper stage propellant tanks directly next door to the new integration hall. ArianeGroup will then equip these tanks and integrate them with the re-ignitiable Vinci engine and the avionics to produce the Ariane 6 upperstages.

This new facility not only gives Bremen, the European center of competence for development and production of upper stages for the future Ariane 6 launcher, an impressively visible symbol of high technology in action, but a ‘lighthouse for innovation, cooperation and common spirit’,  Pierre Godart, CEO of ArianeGroup in Germany, said in his speech during the ceremony.

ArianeGroup’s Bremen site, which currently employs around 550 highly qualified people, has made an investment of €40 million for the new integration hall: 1/3 for the building, 2/3 for the infrastructure of the integration hall. A staff of 100 will work in the new integration facility.

Design authority and industrial lead contractor for the development and operation of the Ariane 6 launcher on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA), ArianeGroup coordinates an industrial network of more than 600 companies in 13 European countries, including more than 350 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).