By: Edward

Edward — Thu, 27 Jun 2019 22:33:56 +0000

From the Article: “[European space firms] have indicated that reuse is not a viable option for a continent that only launches five to 10 rockets a year. It would not be sustainable for a European factory to build just one rocket a year, officials have said. Instead, the European strategy has been to try to reduce the costs of its flagship Ariane and Vega launchers.”

The assumption is that each rocket would be able to launch 5 to 10 times, meaning that the construction rate would be one rocket per year.

In the 1980s, Europe put their launch facility near the equator to take advantage of the then relatively-major launch market of geostationary satellites. It seems that this market is projected to be a relatively-minor market, but one that the more cost-efficient rockets can service despite launching from less advantageous latitudes. Oh, how the market has changed, in a third of a century.

Comments on: Europe finally admits it must build reusable rockets

By: Jeff Wright

By: Edward