ArianeGroup demands more money from ESA for Ariane-6
ArianeGroup is now in negotiations with the European Space Agency (ESA) to get a significant increase in the money ESA is pays for the new as-yet unlaunched Ariane-6 rocket.
A few weeks before a space summit which will take place on November 7 in Seville, [ArianeGroup] is negotiating a very clear reassessment of support for the operation of Ariane 6. [It] is asking 350 million euros per year from the States members of the ESA. That’s an incredible increase of 150%.
The problem for ArianeGroup and ESA is that Ariane-6 is expendable (a joint decision by ESA and ArianeGroup back in 2015 that was then a bad mistake), and thus is too expensive. It can’t compete in the modern launch market with SpaceX, and has thus had trouble finding customers.
As a result, ESA will likely pay out these big bucks for the next few years, but the situation creates a big opening for the new European startup rocket companies (PLD, Rocket Factory Augsburg, Isar, and HyImpulse) that are right now developing new small rockets. Like SpaceX in 2010, they have an opportunity to undercut the established government rockets of ESA, and grab market share. To do this however they need to become operational as soon as possible.
Since there are strong signs that ESA is looking to help these new companies, we should see some interesting competitive action in European rocketry in the next few years.
Hat tip to BtB’s stringer Jay.
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
ArianeGroup is now in negotiations with the European Space Agency (ESA) to get a significant increase in the money ESA is pays for the new as-yet unlaunched Ariane-6 rocket.
A few weeks before a space summit which will take place on November 7 in Seville, [ArianeGroup] is negotiating a very clear reassessment of support for the operation of Ariane 6. [It] is asking 350 million euros per year from the States members of the ESA. That’s an incredible increase of 150%.
The problem for ArianeGroup and ESA is that Ariane-6 is expendable (a joint decision by ESA and ArianeGroup back in 2015 that was then a bad mistake), and thus is too expensive. It can’t compete in the modern launch market with SpaceX, and has thus had trouble finding customers.
As a result, ESA will likely pay out these big bucks for the next few years, but the situation creates a big opening for the new European startup rocket companies (PLD, Rocket Factory Augsburg, Isar, and HyImpulse) that are right now developing new small rockets. Like SpaceX in 2010, they have an opportunity to undercut the established government rockets of ESA, and grab market share. To do this however they need to become operational as soon as possible.
Since there are strong signs that ESA is looking to help these new companies, we should see some interesting competitive action in European rocketry in the next few years.
Hat tip to BtB’s stringer Jay.
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
Speaking of competitive rockery… Russia claims to to have developed nuclear powered rocket, originally meant for deep space travel, used for hypersonic missile‘s that can reach anywhere on earth. I have no idea if it is real, or just a chess move.
“Putin makes nuclear-powered Burevestnik missile test claim“
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-67021695
So can US ICBM’s and, especially, SLBM’s
And they complain about depleted uranium rounds the US fires in combat.