– **Germany is prepared to back the Ariane 7 launcher plan**
– **Project would help sustain European competition with SpaceX**
Germany is ready to back the development of a new generation of French-built space launchers better able to compete with the latest rockets from Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
Berlin will put its weight behind future projects of ArianeGroup, a joint venture of Airbus SE and Safran SA, so long as those programs are open to technology from European startups, according to people familiar with the plans.
Specifically, Germany plans to back the next generation Ariane 7 launcher, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the preparations are private.
Officials for ministers in Germany and France declined to comment on Ariane 7. ArianeGroup also didn’t respond to messages after office hours Friday.
The emergence of SpaceX has ramped up competition for Ariane, with the US firm’s reusable craft having a cost advantage over its rival’s expendable launchers. Still, the French rocket, which undertook its first mission in 1979, remains politically important in providing the European Union with an independent launch capability for satellites and space missions.
ArianeGroup, based in a Paris suburb, has around 7,000 employees in France and Germany and manufactures its rockets in sections in Europe before they’re shipped to French Guiana for assembly and launch.
While the firm describes the current Ariane 5 as “the most reliable space launcher on the commercial market,” Musk’s Falcon 9 is challenging it amid burgeoning demand for communications satellite missions. The latest Ariane 6 rocket, designed to give Europe an edge, has suffered delays with its first blast-off now scheduled for late 2023.
**Political Tensions**
An announcement on a future Ariane 7, would be good news for industrial relations between France and Germany, which have become fractious in recent months.
The EU could also make it more attractive for investors to start their own private space company. I know it’s not exactly popular to rely on the market, but it worked in the US didn’t?
Unreal how much we fund the French industry in the name of cooperation, not that it’s not a good thing technically, it would just be nice to the some reciprocity from France.
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– **Germany is prepared to back the Ariane 7 launcher plan**
– **Project would help sustain European competition with SpaceX**
Germany is ready to back the development of a new generation of French-built space launchers better able to compete with the latest rockets from Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
Berlin will put its weight behind future projects of ArianeGroup, a joint venture of Airbus SE and Safran SA, so long as those programs are open to technology from European startups, according to people familiar with the plans.
Specifically, Germany plans to back the next generation Ariane 7 launcher, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the preparations are private.
Officials for ministers in Germany and France declined to comment on Ariane 7. ArianeGroup also didn’t respond to messages after office hours Friday.
The emergence of SpaceX has ramped up competition for Ariane, with the US firm’s reusable craft having a cost advantage over its rival’s expendable launchers. Still, the French rocket, which undertook its first mission in 1979, remains politically important in providing the European Union with an independent launch capability for satellites and space missions.
ArianeGroup, based in a Paris suburb, has around 7,000 employees in France and Germany and manufactures its rockets in sections in Europe before they’re shipped to French Guiana for assembly and launch.
While the firm describes the current Ariane 5 as “the most reliable space launcher on the commercial market,” Musk’s Falcon 9 is challenging it amid burgeoning demand for communications satellite missions. The latest Ariane 6 rocket, designed to give Europe an edge, has suffered delays with its first blast-off now scheduled for late 2023.
**Political Tensions**
An announcement on a future Ariane 7, would be good news for industrial relations between France and Germany, which have become fractious in recent months.
The EU could also make it more attractive for investors to start their own private space company. I know it’s not exactly popular to rely on the market, but it worked in the US didn’t?
Unreal how much we fund the French industry in the name of cooperation, not that it’s not a good thing technically, it would just be nice to the some reciprocity from France.
Not holding my breath tho.