European Commission calls for a fast launch capability from its new rocket startups
Capitalism in space: As part of Europe’s major shift from its traditional government-run space program that could accomplish little to a commercial and independent space industry, the European Commission has now launched a study asking that new private sector to develop a fast launch capability able to put satellites in orbit quickly and on demand.
In the preamble to the call published on 10 July, the Commission notes that due to an increasing number of threats, both human and natural in origin, spacefaring actors must not only develop sovereign access to space but also create “systems capable of placing satellites into orbit quickly to meet urgent demands.”
In an effort to develop this capability, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space will commission three parallel studies. The primary objectives of the ten-month studies are to identify the commercial and institutional needs for such a capability within the EU, define suitable and affordable solutions across ground and launcher systems, and outline a roadmap towards achieving an operational service. The total budget for the call is €1.95 million, with up to €650,000 available for each study.
The American military has been pursuing this capability now for almost a decade, repeatedly issuing contracts to startups as well as established companies to demonstrate a fast launch. Except for SpaceX, the established companies have not been very successful in doing this. Among the startups, the results have been more promising, with Rocket Lab especially demonstrating the ability to install a payload and launch within days.
Though the European plan still appears to be seeped in bureaucratic requirements and top-down management, it is also working to encourage a robust competitive commercial sector with multiple companies, each producing their own variations on the problem. All told, the trend remains positive.
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 print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. 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
Capitalism in space: As part of Europe’s major shift from its traditional government-run space program that could accomplish little to a commercial and independent space industry, the European Commission has now launched a study asking that new private sector to develop a fast launch capability able to put satellites in orbit quickly and on demand.
In the preamble to the call published on 10 July, the Commission notes that due to an increasing number of threats, both human and natural in origin, spacefaring actors must not only develop sovereign access to space but also create “systems capable of placing satellites into orbit quickly to meet urgent demands.”
In an effort to develop this capability, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space will commission three parallel studies. The primary objectives of the ten-month studies are to identify the commercial and institutional needs for such a capability within the EU, define suitable and affordable solutions across ground and launcher systems, and outline a roadmap towards achieving an operational service. The total budget for the call is €1.95 million, with up to €650,000 available for each study.
The American military has been pursuing this capability now for almost a decade, repeatedly issuing contracts to startups as well as established companies to demonstrate a fast launch. Except for SpaceX, the established companies have not been very successful in doing this. Among the startups, the results have been more promising, with Rocket Lab especially demonstrating the ability to install a payload and launch within days.
Though the European plan still appears to be seeped in bureaucratic requirements and top-down management, it is also working to encourage a robust competitive commercial sector with multiple companies, each producing their own variations on the problem. All told, the trend remains positive.
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 print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. 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