Ariane 5 and Ariane 6 Payload Fairings and Satellite Structures by RUAG Space
Description
RUAG Space (now SentinelDME/Nammo group, following RUAG's divestiture of its space division) is a Swiss space structures company headquartered in Zurich, with major facilities in Gothenburg (Sweden), Linz (Austria), and Florida (USA). RUAG Space is the sole manufacturer of the Ariane 5 payload fairing — the large 5.4-metre diameter composite nose cone that protects satellites from aerodynamic and acoustic loads during the first minutes of ascent. The fairing shown underwent pyrotechnic separation testing at NASA Glenn Research Center's Space Power Facility in April 2012. For Ariane 6, RUAG Space supplies the same fairing design in 4.57 m and 5.4 m versions (short and long) as well as the composite inter-stage and VINCI engine bay structures. RUAG Space also manufactures satellite structural components including CFRP (carbon-fiber reinforced polymer) propellant tanks, payload adapter rings (Speltra, Sylda), star trackers, electronics boxes, and central tube structures for ESA, Airbus DS, Thales Alenia Space, and NASA missions. In launchers, RUAG supplies composite propellant tank domes and interstages for Vega-C and structural panels for the Falcon 9 fairing (manufacture subcontracted to SpaceX supply chain).