... as fuel for Ariane [ Return towards Its applications ]
Liquid hydrogen reacts with the liquid oxygen onboard the Ariane rocket to supply a large quantity of energy.
Very light hydrogen enormously concentrates energy for a given mass: 1 kg of hydrogen contains three times more energy than 1 kg of gasoline. It is the ideal fuel for powering a space launcher for which each kilo onboard counts.
In the main cryogenic stage of Ariane V, the combustion of hydrogen produces an enormous quantity of steam that is released at very high speed through the nozzle of the Vulcain engine.
The hydrogen burns upon contact with oxygen, but oxygen is not found in space. That is why Ariane V carries its huge central tank with 162 tons of liquid oxygen at -183°C and 28 tons of liquid hydrogen at -253°C. Air Liquide builds the specific tanks that contain them: they only weigh 5.5 tons and the walls are just 1.3 mm thick. A genuine technological feat!
5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0!
As soon as the countdown has ended, the solid rocket booster and the main cryogenic stage are powered up to wrench the 780 tons of Ariane from the earth. Two minutes later, at an altitude of 70 km, the empty boosters are jettisoned. The main stage continues alone to put the launcher into the transfer orbit at over 200 km in altitude and give it a speed of 10 km/sec., less than 9 minutes after lift-off. Next, it is the cryogenic upper stage that powers the payload until the final separation on the orbit aimed at.
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