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Feature story

A member of the Community of Ariane Cities is highlighted on Ariane 5's successful launch

October 30, 2009

The Forum Ariane Lampoldshausen logo is installed on Ariane 5’s payload fairing in the upper photo.  As a recognition of its participation in the Community of Ariane Cities, the logo was included on Ariane 5’s payload fairing with those of the October 29 mission’s two customers: the SES group of companies, and Telenor Satellite Broadcasting.

Arianespace’s latest mission success held a special meaning for one region of Germany, which maintains a particularly close relationship to the launcher program and plays an important role European space.

This region is the administrative district of Heilbronn, and it includes the Lampoldshausen municipality – home to the European Center for Space Propulsion.

For Arianespace’s dual-satellite launch on October 29, the region was honored with a logo on the Ariane 5’s payload fairing, signifying its participation in the “Community of Ariane Cities.”   This organization was created in 1998 to assist in the economic, cultural and educational development of the cities and citizens who contribute to European space activities.

The European Center for Space Propulsion is situated in the Harthäuser forest, and has been a key location for rocket engine testing since its creation 50 years ago in October 1959.  Operated by Germany's DLR national research center for aeronautics and space, the Lampoldshausen site’s facilities also are an integral part of EADS Astrium's Propulsion division.   Among the Center’s current activities is validation and support work for Ariane 5’s Vulcain main cryogenic engine.

Primary installations for hot-fire testing at Lampoldshausen are the P1 Facility, a high altitude test site for small propulsion systems with thrust ratings of up to 600 Newtons and which operate on storable monopropellants and bipropellants; the sea-level P2 Facility for liquid propellant rocket engines rated at thrusts of up to 100 kN, and which operate with storable hypergolic bipropellants; and the P3 Facility, sized for large liquid propellant rocket engines powered by cryogenic propellants. 

While the European Center for Space Propulsion covers an area of almost 40 hectares, it is in a rural administrative district with only 4,000 inhabitants and does not have major industrial sites, universities, or technical colleges.  For this reason, it became a member of the Community of Ariane Cities as an association and not as a municipality of its own.

Designated the Forum Ariane Lampoldshausen, this association was set up with the Economic Development Corporation Heilbronn GmbH, which includes the towns and the municipalities of the administrative district of Heilbronn, the district itself and the city of Heilbronn.  As a result, the Forum Ariane Lampoldshausen represents an area with a population of 450,000, and comprises members that include the Municipality of Hardthausen, the DLR German Aerospace Center, EADS Astrium Space Transportation, the Heilbronn University of Applied Sciences and the Heilbronn Economic Development Corporation.

Arianespace is a major supporter of the Community of Ariane Cities, and enables the association to honor its members by including their logos on the payload fairings of selected Ariane missions.