France to award four rocket startups launch contracts worth as much as 400 million euros
Capitalism in space: According to a story today at the European Spaceflight website, the French government will later this week announce contract awards to four different rocket startups worth as much as 400 million euros.
The four launch startups that will receive a combined €400 million in subsidies are HyPrSpace, Latitude, Sirius Space Services, and the ArianeGroup subsidiary MaiaSpace.
The HyPrSpace OB-1 and Latitude Zephyr rockets will be the smallest of the lot and will be capable of delivering between 100 and 200 kilograms to low Earth orbit. The Sirius 1, Sirius 13, and Sirius 15 rockets will be capable of delivering between 175 and 1,100 kilograms to orbit. The Prometheus-powered Maia rocket is expected to be the most powerful, with a payload capacity of up to three tonnes when launched in its expendable configuration.
All four companies however will only receive a small upfront payment, with the bulk of the award only paid if a company achieves a maiden launch by 2028.
That the French government is now signing deals with new private and independent launch companies and not with Arianespace, the commercial arm of the European Space Agency (ESA) that has always been dominated by the French, is a major development. Up until now most of the action encouraging independent rocket companies has come from Germany and Spain. That France has now joined the party signals the almost certain death knell to the failed two decade-long effort by Arianespace to make a profit, even when it controlled about 50% of the launch market.
Expect the government monopoly of Arianespace to fade away in the next five years. Expect it to be replaced with a thriving industry of mulitple rocket companies, all charging less and coming up with new ways to lower cost.
Capitalism in space: According to a story today at the European Spaceflight website, the French government will later this week announce contract awards to four different rocket startups worth as much as 400 million euros.
The four launch startups that will receive a combined €400 million in subsidies are HyPrSpace, Latitude, Sirius Space Services, and the ArianeGroup subsidiary MaiaSpace.
The HyPrSpace OB-1 and Latitude Zephyr rockets will be the smallest of the lot and will be capable of delivering between 100 and 200 kilograms to low Earth orbit. The Sirius 1, Sirius 13, and Sirius 15 rockets will be capable of delivering between 175 and 1,100 kilograms to orbit. The Prometheus-powered Maia rocket is expected to be the most powerful, with a payload capacity of up to three tonnes when launched in its expendable configuration.
All four companies however will only receive a small upfront payment, with the bulk of the award only paid if a company achieves a maiden launch by 2028.
That the French government is now signing deals with new private and independent launch companies and not with Arianespace, the commercial arm of the European Space Agency (ESA) that has always been dominated by the French, is a major development. Up until now most of the action encouraging independent rocket companies has come from Germany and Spain. That France has now joined the party signals the almost certain death knell to the failed two decade-long effort by Arianespace to make a profit, even when it controlled about 50% of the launch market.
Expect the government monopoly of Arianespace to fade away in the next five years. Expect it to be replaced with a thriving industry of mulitple rocket companies, all charging less and coming up with new ways to lower cost.