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Launcher stage delivery 02-04-2021 | 5 minutes
Suite
Sneak peek: behind the scenes of the first Ariane 6 upper stage transfer
Just a few days ago, the ArianeGroup teams in Bremen, Germany, carefully overseeing preparations for the transfer of the upper stage.
View of the underside of the upper stage with its two helium tanks (the black spheres) clearly visible.
The 11.6-meter high stage is slowly lowered, then turned on its side to be protected and finally positioned in a trailer.
The precious cargo is secured in its container. Every precaution is taken to make sure the stage will reach the testing site intact.
Doors closing! They will only be reopened after a trip by boat and truck to the Lampoldshausen site of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in southern Germany, almost 400km away.
The stage is then towed by an articulated truck. This very abnormal load takes up two lanes, requiring the roads to be closed along the route for the entire journey.
VIP treatment: The convoy even gets a police escort to make sure everything goes off without the slightest hitch.
See you soon for the next episode in Lampoldshausen to follow the hot-firing tests on the upper stage. Feel free to ask our specialists about this step on our social media using the hashtag #AskOurEngineers.
