Air Liquide’s Post

Energy management at it’s finest… What an amazing example of mastering the flow of energy and, at the same time, the importance of finding the right balance of support and letting go. The cryogenic arms support Ariane 6 with the much needed energy and then let go just in time to let the launcher take off on it’s exciting journey. 🚀 This article was a wonderful throwback for me to the early years of my career when I was the chief engineer for the development of one of the rocket engines of Ariane 5, the immensly successful predecessor of #Ariane6. I very well remember how managing the powerful energy of the thruster was both challenging and educational. ☀️ For the last 10 months or so, I have been learning about #EnergyLeadership and successfully been using it in #teamworkshops and #coaching. While it’s not about the kind of energy that lifts a rocket launcher, it’s nonetheless incredibly powerful as it is about the energy that can push individuals and teams to new heights. 📈 So, after 30 years I see the circle closing. There’s energy in our systems, people, and teams. With the right mindset and an #EnergyLeadership approach we can channel that energy to achieve great results and overcome limiting beliefs. This article is a great reminder that not even the sky has to be the limit… 🚀

Seconds before #Ariane6 lifts off, a crucial operation takes place. Do you know what it is? 🚀 It’s the retraction of the 13-m-long, 20-tonne yellow arms connected to the upper stage, also known as ‘cryogenic arms’. They supply fuel at super-low temperatures to the rocket on the launch pad: one arm supplies liquid hydrogen at -250°C, the other supplies liquid oxygen at -180°C. As the rocket takes off, these arms disconnect and retract rapidly. What makes this seemingly simple task so important and challenging? The cryogenic arms fill the launcher’s liquid propellant tanks with roughly 180 tonnes of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen up to the final seconds before launch. The retraction of the arms is a very delicate millisecond manoeuvre to protect the sensitive equipment from the powerful effects of the launch: temperatures of around 3,000°C and gas ejections of several kilometres per second. And, of course, as the launcher rises, the cryogenic arms need to get out of the launcher’s ascent corridor so as not to affect its trajectory and jeopardise the entire mission – they pivot away in just 2.6 seconds. This is where the true value of teamwork is apparent. The ground teams of CNES and European Space Agency - ESA have joined forces with our #SpaceEnablers in successfully validating this final part of the lift-off sequence. Watch the video to hear from some of the team members, including our #ArianeGroup colleagues Valerie de Korver, and Lydia AMAKOUD. Now that the Ariane 6 stages have arrived in at Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, the teams are setting to work on the FM1 campaign towards the inaugural launch of Ariane 6. #Milestone #FirstFlight #SpaceTeamEurope #WorkInSpace #SpaceIndustry

Broadband to the Arctic

It was an honor to participate in the Space European Conference #SEC2024 (Brussels) representing CCDR-Norte. The multiple interventions by portuguese entities and experts, including, #PTspace, #CEiiA, and #GEOSAT, among others, demonstrate the range of ongoing activities in this sector. Of particular notice the launch of the ‘Atlantic Constellation’ initiative by CEiiA, in the framework of the “New Space Portugal” agenda, which has full support from the Norte. The aerospace sector is one of the priority areas I have identified for innovation in the Norte, not only for its business relevance (most significantly downstream satellite data applications), but mostly because #space technologies are currently (and evermore) pervasive in our daily lives, from communications to geolocation, from earth observation to orbit-based sensor mapping in support of sustainability and decarbonization.

As more satellites are launched, the risk of collision increases. 🛰️💥🛰️🌎 Even small debris can set off a chain reaction of collisions, threatening functioning satellites & the future of our orbit. Check out UNU-EHS #InterconnectedRisks report: https://lnkd.in/dh7FyeNG

Congratulations to the European Space Agency - ESA and the JAXA: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency on the successful launch of the EarthCARE satellite. Equipped with four instruments, the Earth Cloud Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) satellite mission has been designed to make a range of different measurements that together will shed new light on the role that clouds and aerosols play in regulating Earth’s climate. The satellite features several processors in the platform and instruments, all based on LEON technology. #leon2ft https://lnkd.in/dkMHfMw4

Thanks ESA BSGN | Business in Space Growth Network for the opportunity to share Air Liquide journey on Hydrogen refuelling from space, through ground mobility to aerospace, during #Spaceforinspiration2024. In Orbit refueling will be an enabler of #sustainability in space, for the benefit of Earth, so let's share all lessons learnt, to accelerate the emergence of this new market 🚀 🌗

This is BIG news and a story that is still developing. Takeaways: (1) Intelsat has lost a big and expensive satellite that has been providing comms to parts of Africa, Europe, and Asia. (2) Some are reporting it has unexpectedly broken up into at least 20 pieces of #spacedebris (3) Boeing was the manufacturer of the satellite 🛰 bus that was less than halfway into its planned #space lifespan in GEO (geosynchronous orbit- far out orbit matching the 24hr earth 🌎 rotation not closer in like most sats in LEO) (4) Speculation is that this issue is related to the sats propulsion system -GSP- #newspace #spaceindustry #spaceeconomy

🤔 Want to know more about EROSS IOD? Check out this video with Stéphanie BEHAR LAFENETRE, the coordinator of the project, to learn the ins and outs of EROSS IOD in less than one minute. ⤵

FAA to complete orbital debris upper stage regulations in 2025: The FAA is moving ahead with efforts to develop rules for the disposal of upper stages as another Centaur upper stage breaks apart in orbit. The post FAA to complete orbital debris upper stage regulations in 2025 appeared first on SpaceNews. #neuco