Bogie under Ariane 6 mobile gantry
At Europe's Spaceport the Ariane 6 mobile gantry, a 90 metre-high metallic structure built to house Ariane 6 underwent a 97 m roll-out test last week to mimic prelaunch. When fully equipped, this mobile gantry will weigh 8200 tonnes - more than a thousand tonnes heavier than France's Eiffel Tower. Its platforms provide access to the launch vehicle for integration on the launch pad. It protects Ariane 6 until its doors are opened and it is retracted about five hours before the launch. The mobile gantry stands on 16 bogies, each bogie comprises eight wheels and each wheel is equipped with one electric motor. A total of 128 electric motors synchronise to set the wheels in motion along rails. "Preparation is everything but the actual move is automated and quite simple," explained Jean-Michel Rizzi, ESA's Ariane 6 Launch Base Project Manager, "You choose to move the gantry forward or backwards and then press the start button.
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