Europe’s Ariane-5 rocket completes its last launch
The Ariane-5 rocket today successfully completed its final launch, lifting off from French Guiana and placing two communications satellites into orbit.
At the moment Europe has no capability of putting anything into orbit. Ariane-5 is retired. Ariane-6, its replacement, is far behind schedule will probably not make its first test flight until next year. The Vega-C rocket is grounded because of a launch failure in December 2022.
This was only the second launch for Europe in 2023, so the the leader board in the 2023 launch race remains the same:
44 SpaceX
24 China
9 Russia
5 Rocket Lab
In successful launches, American private enterprise still leads China 50 to 24 in the national rankings, while SpaceX by itself leads the entire world combined, excluding American companies, 44 to 42.
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
The Ariane-5 rocket today successfully completed its final launch, lifting off from French Guiana and placing two communications satellites into orbit.
At the moment Europe has no capability of putting anything into orbit. Ariane-5 is retired. Ariane-6, its replacement, is far behind schedule will probably not make its first test flight until next year. The Vega-C rocket is grounded because of a launch failure in December 2022.
This was only the second launch for Europe in 2023, so the the leader board in the 2023 launch race remains the same:
44 SpaceX
24 China
9 Russia
5 Rocket Lab
In successful launches, American private enterprise still leads China 50 to 24 in the national rankings, while SpaceX by itself leads the entire world combined, excluding American companies, 44 to 42.
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
”At the moment Europe has no capability of putting anything into orbit.”
They still have Vega rockets.
mkent: As I noted, the Vega is presently grounded. While I am sure they will get it flying again, at the moment is it unavailable.
Is the configuration of Ariane 5 / 6 a consequence of a lack of interest or ability to build powerful liquid-fueled engines? That is, they seem to use big solid boosters to get it up and going to where fairly modest liquids like the Vulcain can sustain it to orbit? Or is this actually a clever strategy?
”As I noted, the Vega is presently grounded.”
No, it is not. Vega-C is grounded. The next Vega launch is scheduled for September.
mkent: I stand partly corrected. The Vega has two launches left, both already assigned, before it is retired as well. The Vega-C remains grounded. See this article. To quote:
In essence my conclusion remains the same. Europe essentially has no capability at present to launch any new payloads.
A5 had better precision than Falcon. That gap closing?