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Ariane 5 successfully launches 4 European GPS satellites

Capitalism in space: Using its Ariane 5 rocket Arianespace yesterday successfully placed four European Galileo GPS satellites in orbit.

This is expected to be Arianespace’s last launch for 2017. The standings for the most launches in 2017 as of today:

27 United States
18 Russia
16 SpaceX
15 China
11 Arianespace

SpaceX and Russia each have two scheduled launches, while China has one. China however does not release information about all of its upcoming launches, so it might surprise us with more.

Genesis cover

On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.

 
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.


The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
 

"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News

2 comments

  • mkent

    You’re double-booking the two Soyuz launches from Kourou (Hispasat AG1 and SES-15) under both Russia and Arianespace. Arianespace manages the sales contract, but Russia performs the actual launch (much like USA-based ILS manages the sales contracts of commercial Proton vehicles but Russia performs the actual launch). Counting those two flights as Russian, the totals are 18 for Russia and 9 for Europe.

    Also, you’re double-booking the SpaceX flights under the United States. The 27-flight total for USA includes the 16 SpaceX flights.

  • mkent: When I published my full table of launches last year, I made it clear that I was counting the Soyuz launches from French Guiana under Arianespace, not Russia. I do not double book them. It could be argued that they should go until Russia’s category, but I decided that since these launches would probably not happen without Arianespace, Arianespace should get the credit for them.

    Similarly, I have made it clear recently that I am showing the U.S. total plus separating SpaceX individually, just to show how that single U.S. company is doing compared to other nations. This is not double-booking. SpaceX’s launches still rank as U.S. launches.

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