RUAG logo.
Sept. 30, 2020
The fairing of an Atlas rocket intended to be launched in Florida left Switzerland by plane on Wednesday after being mounted in the Ruag Space factory in Emmen (LU). It is the ultimate of its kind to be produced in Switzerland. The manufacturer will now work in Alabama.
20 meters long, the fairing designed for the American Atlas V rocket is transported aboard one of the largest freight planes in the world, an Antonov type An-124 from the Russian company Volga-Dnepr Airlines. The aircraft is 70 meters long with a wingspan exceeding 73 meters. It took off around 12:45 p.m. from Emmen military airfield (LU), Ruag said.
Antonov AN-124
The payload fairing built by Ruag Space is almost a third of the size of the rocket. It is composed of two semi-shells in composite materials based on carbon fibers. These semi-hulls must protect the satellites transported by the rocket before they separate into space.
In the future, the "Swiss" fairings intended for Atlas rockets within the framework of the United Launch Alliance (ULA) will be manufactured in the new American factory in Ruag, Alabama. This move strengthens the partnership between the Swiss manufacturer and ULA, he writes. However, Emmen remains the center of competence for the European Ariane and Vega rocket fairings.
Related links:
RUAG: https://www.ruag.com/en
ULA - United Launch Alliance: https://www.ulalaunch.com/
Image, Text, Credits: ATS/RUAG/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.
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