PARIS (AP) -- The failed first mission of Europe's souped-up Ariane 5 rocket was probably due to cracks in the engine's cooling circuits that will require six months to fix, the head of the program said Tuesday.
But the problem is not expected to hamper launch activities because it does not affect the engine of the original version of the Ariane 5, Arianespace chief Jean-Yves Le Gall said, reporting the findings of a commission of experts charged with investigating last month's failed launch.
"I consider that the generic Ariane 5 has been cleared by the commission's work,'' he told a news conference. "We have no worries about the basic Ariane-5 launcher.''
That should be good news for the Rosetta comet probe now awaiting launch on a generic Ariane 5. It must be sent on its way by Jan. 31 in order to make a planetary launch window.
The failed maiden mission was a blow to Arianespace, the commercial arm of the 13-nation European Space Agency, which is in heated competition with the United States for orders in the lucrative satellite launching market.
The latest Ariane 5 is Europe's most powerful rocket yet, capable of carrying a 10-ton payload, about three tons more than the previous version. But it veered off course shortly after liftoff on Dec. 11 from a base in South America and had to be destroyed by ground control at the European space base in French Guiana. Two costly satellites were lost.
The original seven-ton Ariane 5 has had a dozen successful liftoffs, and the commission's report noted that its Vulcain 1 engine "differs in several areas'' from the Vulcain 2 engine of its more powerful sister. The fissures led to a leak in the cooling system, thus heating up the engine, the report said.
"This resulted in a major imbalance in the thrust of the Vulcain 2 engine... leading to a loss of control over the launcher's trajectory,'' Arianespace said.
Tests and modifications to the Vulcain 2 engine will take six months, the report said, adding that a plan to return the launcher to action in the second half of this year would be established on Jan. 20. Three launches of the new Ariane 5 had originally been planned for 2003.
Boeing's most powerful rocket, the Delta 4, made its inaugural launch Nov. 20, while another competitor, Lockheed Martin's Atlas 5, made its successful debut in August.
Le Gall stressed that the setback for the new Ariane 5 could be overcome.
"We're not really penalized,'' he said. "We were ahead of market needs.''
Le Gall said that the souped-up Ariane 5 was not considered necessary until 2004 or the beginning of 2005. Until then, the classic Ariane 5 will suffice, he said.
Meanwhile, a less powerful Ariane 4 was set for a final mission Feb. 11. The production chain on that model has already been stopped, Le Gall said.
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