Microelectronics

Fraunhofer IWU: European launcher Ariane 6 – Fraunhofer IWU and ESA roll out innovative sensor technologies to all production sites

November 21, 2025. On November 4, an Ariane 6 rocket successfully launched the Sentinel-1D earth observation satellite into space. In future, the launches of the new launcher are to take place at close intervals so that Europe can remain an important player in space research. A perfectly synchronized production network that manufactures components with the highest precision is essential for aerospace applications. Sensor technology can play an important role in this, from the physical traceability of parts to condition monitoring and quality management. But high-performance sensor technology also makes energy consumption in production more manageable.

Fraunhofer IWU and ESA are rolling out innovative sensor technologies to all Ariane 6 production sites. Photo: ESA

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Electronics, Research & Development, Sensors

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After a successful pilot phase, Fraunhofer IWU and the European Space Agency ESA are now rolling out four sensor groups to all Ariane production sites as part of the SmartSENS project. “The aim is to bring all data together in one platform (ESA-Steam) and evaluate it for closed quality loops,” explains Dipl.-Ing. Albrecht Hänel, Head of the Digital Production Twin department at Fraunhofer IWU and project manager at the institute. So-called asset trackers monitor the availability, condition and location of production facilities and equipment as well as key manufacturing processes in real time. By monitoring vibrations in the process, important conclusions can be drawn about the stability of the processes and therefore the product quality. GPS trackers allow complete traceability of parts and components on their way to the factories, during further processing in the factories and on their way to (final) assembly. A fourth category of sensors keeps an eye on energy consumption during production and thus helps to keep the manufacturing-related CO2 footprint as low as possible.

IMPROVE: Getting better

SmartSENS is part of the ESA program “IMPROVE! – Technologies for Smart Manufacturing, Intelligent Logistics and Sustainability”. The initiatives of this program are aimed at a fully automated and intelligent end-to-end value chain for the Ariane 6 launcher and the P120C rocket engine. The focus is on pioneering innovations in the areas of predictive maintenance, connected sensor networks, digital supply chain management and sustainable production processes.

Lived partnership

The Fraunhofer IWU launched SmartSENS in May 2025 together with AS Consulting. In an initial phase, the sensor technologies were tested and validated in a real production environment at MTA Augsburg. Energy and vibration sensors from ABB, systems from Brady for real-time plant traceability and GPS trackers from Trusted A/S for transport monitoring are being used. The production partners in whose plants the rollout is now taking place include ArianeGroup (Vernon/France), Avio S.p.A. (Colleferro/Italy); GKN Aerospace Sweden AB (Trollhättan) and ATC Space s.r.o Klatovy (Czech Republic).

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