The European company ArianeGroup intends to follow in the footsteps of the Americans. It is the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire who announces it.
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Bruno Le Maire was on Monday December 6 visiting Vernon, in Normandy, on the ArianeGroup site where the Ariane rocket engines are tested. “Europe has missed the turn of the reusable launcher, we did not believe it. We are lagging behind our American partners, in particular SpaceX … we must catch up” said Bruno Le Maire. Sin confessed and half forgiven, it is time to double down on billionaire Elon Musk who recently allowed our astronaut Thomas Pesquet to leave for and return from the international space station.
To put it simply, a recoverable launcher is the module that propels space capsules or satellites into orbit. Instead of serving once, usually falling back to the sea, it descends back to Earth as it left it, and can thus be reused for other missions. These launchers respond to the increasing power of the orbiting of small satellites weighing less than 500 kg. A civilian market in which Elon Musk’s American SpaceX quickly positioned itself, helped by the defense budgets of the United States.
Without saying it, Europe must find an alternative to Ariane 6, the new European launcher which has not yet taken off. Model obviously already outdated, too expensive to win customers in the face of international competition. Developing a recoverable and reusable launcher reduces costs. From there to consider the Ariane 6 program as stillborn, let’s not exaggerate. “Europe no longer has a choice, it must offer its customers launches much cheaper than those offered today” said the Director General of the Center ofstudies and strategic foresight, Loïc Tribot La Spière. Arianespace must become more competitive to ensure the future of the European space industry.