Aiming for the Project Stars

By John Bensalhia










More than 60 years ago, German-American aerospace engineer Wernher von Braun acknowledged the critical need for logistics to support the space race when he famously said that it is “safe to state that many of us have not realized the enormous scope of the tasks performed in the (space) logistics area.”

In a decade that would see space travel soar to new heights, von Braun presciently identified this logistics problem, warning that space projects would ultimately succeed or fail on the effectiveness of their logistics support.

Travel forward to 2023. Heeding von Braun’s warnings, there is today much greater awareness of the importance of smooth, efficient space logistics.

This year saw the unveiling of the newest launch vehicle in the Ariane family: Ariane 6, which will succeed the successful Ariane 5 launch vehicle, due to fly its last mission in summer 2023. Valeria Andreoni, newsroom and media relations in the communication department of the European Space Agency, said that Ariane 6 has been designed to provide a “competitive and versatile solution for the evolving needs of space transportation services.”

“Compared to the current Ariane 5, it is expected to be cheaper and easier to manufacture and operate. It will offer two launch configurations as well as various mission extension modules to flexibly respond to user needs beyond 2023 and enable the implementation of a wide range of mission concepts, such as support for the deployment of satellite constellations, ride shares for payloads of various sizes and payloads requiring complex orbital transfers,” she said.

In addition, various developments are under way to further increase the performance of future Ariane 6 variations, including a more powerful solid booster, light upper stages and in the longer-term through new engines and reusability of launcher components.


SPECIALLY DESIGNED TRANSPORT

Transportation of previous Arianespace launchers was handled by Compagnie Maritime Nantaise, or MN, which has overseen all Arianespace shipments since the beginning of the 1980s.

Under a long-term contract which came to an end at the beginning of 2023, two dedicated roll-on, roll-off vessels – MN Colibri and MN Toucan – were specially designed for the Ariane 4 and 5 launchers logistics between Europe and French Guiana.

Mathias Audrain, commercial and business development manager at MN, explained the design: “Accessing through a straight stern ramp, the main deck is similar to a huge garage with a height of eight meters equipped with a water spray area. Furthermore, the weather deck is fully served by the vessel’s crane for general cargoes and containers stowage.”

To ensure the guaranteed arrival of cargoes, these vessels have two shaft lines/main engines and two bow thrusters. “In order to meet the constraints of the strongly nautical restrictions at Pariacabo space port (French Guiana), both of our vessels can guarantee a 3.8-meter draft,” Audrain said. “Furthermore, they are both able to manage a navigation into muddy waters.”

Between 2009 and 2021, Compagnie Maritime Nantaise also managed the Soyuz launchers transportation from Russia to the Europe Spaceport in French Guiana.

Today, MN is in charge of all the Avio maritime shipments for the Italian launchers from Italy to French Guiana and has developed an alternative way of satellite transportation by air using its MN Colibri and MN Toucan.

“With Thales Alenia Space France, the routing of the KVHTS, MTG and E10B satellites to French Guiana and to United States (Port Canaveral – Florida) was part of our last year’s activity,” Audrain said. “Furthermore, in 2021/2022, we managed with the MN Colibri vessel, the James Webb telescope transportation from California to French Guiana which required 10 years of preparatory work.”


MAJOR STEPS FORWARD

The packing and transport operation of the ground and board modules of Ariane 6 is being overseen by Legendre Group. Those modules will supply the rocket and launcher with fuel. The 121- meter roll-on, roll-off vessel Canopée has been designed to ship these from European ports to French Guiana.

“Canopée reached Kourou for the first time in January 2023,” said Marc Yoann, commercial and communication director at Legendre Group. “This is the first sailing ship dedicated to space logistics. It is not active yet, but it will be a major step forward in the industry.”

Canopée is an example of custom building a vessel that meets the complex demands of transporting Ariane 6. The project, which began in 2020 at the Polish port of Sczezcin was led by the maritime company Alizés, a joint venture between offshore services specialist, Jifmar Offshore Services and Zéphyr & Borée, a start-up that specializes in low carbon shipping.

The voyage will involve several challenges including bearing heavy but fragile loads and traversing the Kourou river in French Guiana up to the Pariacabo harbor.

Karl-Heinz Servos, ArianeGroup’s head of industry, said that Canopée meets the objectives of the program, which were to reduce costs, shorten production cycles and reduce environmental footprint. “The success of the sea trials means that qualification tests can now begin in the harbours where Canopée will dock. Canopée will transport the inaugural flight Ariane 6 launcher from this summer, then the following launchers which are already being integrated at ArianeGroup’s sites in France and Germany.”

The development of Canopée was arranged in a number of stages. The initial stage was assembling the structural elements and installing the engines and control systems. The next step was to complete the fit out of elements such as navigation instruments, system start-up and cabling. This took place in Rotterdam.

An important aspect of this process was the trial of the vessel to ensure that everything ran like clockwork, from safety systems to electrics and propulsion. By December 2022, Canopée attained its official seaworthiness certificate, thus making the crossing to French Guiana. Future additions include the fitting of four articulated wing sails by the summer of 2023.


MEETING CHALLENGES

However, as Legendre’s Yoann noted, space-related cargo is one of the most challenging types of project cargo. “This is because you have to consider the value of the goods transported, and the delay to reconstruct a cargo if any issue occurred. So, safety and insurance are two main topics to be checked in priority.”

The emphasis is on detailed planning and preparation. Yoann explained that for the French part of the Ariane 6 project, in French Guiana, it is “specific territory, on which you have no backup solutions if the infrastructure is unavailable. So, preparation is very important to make sure you could use the bridges, road, cranes or port infrastructures.”

The transport of these sensitive and sometimes dangerous equipment components requires specific analyses and is akin to – as MN’s Audrain commented – “haute couture instead of ready-to-wear fashion.”

“The main challenge is to ensure the integrity of the components during the sea transportation and to provide our support to the client’s conveyors during sea passage.”

Audrain added that MN’s crews are trained and highly qualified to handle these high value-added cargoes and masters adapt the vessel’s route to avoid any meteorological hazards. During the preparatory phases, all stowage and lashing plans are designed by MN’s engineering department and then validated by its clients.

Each satellite transport requires a tailor-made solution and proposal. “Each maritime transport constitutes a project by itself, and we are pleased to serve and provide our customers with our know-how.”

Most of the Ariane 6 components were manufactured and pre-assembled in Europe and then shipped to Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana for final assembly. “For Ariane 6, the main stage and upper stage are assembled horizontally, versus vertically as done with previous Ariane launcher generations,” ESA’s Andreoni said. “This is expected to accelerate and simplify the preparation of the launch vehicle for launch.”


MAKING SPACE CONNECTIONS

Aerospace engineer Von Braun couldn’t have foreseen the giant progress in the space logistics field. A report from Allied Market Research predicted that the space logistics market will generate US$19.8 billion by 2040.

And the cargo and material segment is the one expected to bring the highest compound annual growth rate of 18.1 percent from 2030 to 2040, due to an increase in the number of space stations and space exploration missions.

The European Space Agency’s Andreoni agreed that demand for the delivery of space logistics cargo is expected to further increase in the coming years, including cargo delivery to commercial low Earth orbit stations, to the Lunar Gateway and eventually to the Lunar surface.

Demand is also expected to increase for in-orbit servicing, assembly and manufacturing and for de-/re-orbit missions. “Various mission extension modules have been developed or are under development to enhance the versatility of Ariane 6 and to meet current and future user needs,” she said.

Added to this, ongoing technology developments, such as new rocket engines, lighter structural elements and reusability demonstrations of main and upper stages, could be integrated into future Ariane 6 evolutions or form the basis for a new launch vehicle generation. If the projected future demand for space logistics services is realized, project cargo movers will be in demand.

“The need for transporting payloads and launcher components between manufacturing and to launch sites, for example, by land, sea or air transport, also requires cargo move services,” Andreoni said, urging project cargo specialists to explore opportunities in support of space logistics.


John Bensalhia is a freelance writer and author with 25 years’ experience of writing for a wide range of publications and websites.

PHOTOS:
MAIN: Ariane 6 central core reaches Europe's Spaceport. CREDIT: ESA, CNES, Arianespace
SECOND: Transporting parts for Europe’s space program. CREDIT: Compagnie Maritime Nantaise
THIRD: Legendre Group oversees the packing and transport operation of the ground and board modules of Ariane 6. CREDIT: Legendre