Why the new Ariane 6 rocket is crucial for Europe

Deprived of autonomous access to space for over a year, Europeans no longer have a choice: the inaugural flight of the Ariane 6 rocket must succeed. The moment of truth is Tuesday, July 9. with a launch from the Kourou spaceport in Guyana.

There “crisis” launchers, as Josef Aschbacher, the director of the European Space Agency (ESA), put it, is the result of a series of delicate and unforeseen circumstances. It began when the Ariane 5 rocket bowed out on 5 July 2023 after its 117th flight. At that time, Europe was already in difficulty: it could not rely on its lighter Vega-C launcher, which failed on its first flight in December 2022. It could no longer rely on Russian Soyuz spacecraft either, as joint operations had been interrupted since 2022 and the start of the war in Ukraine.

Added to this is the delay of Ariane 6. Originally scheduled for 2020, its first launch was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and various design problems. This launch has therefore become crucial. Franceinfo explains why.

Because a space power must have its launcher

The rocket is one of the first attributes of a space power. The United States, China, Japan and India, obviously have launchers. And what is North Korea doing, which wants to join this club? ? It is acquiring rockets. Europe has had launchers for decades and it is an anomaly not to have any more, Isabelle Sourbès-Verger, geographer and research director at the CNRS, specialist in space policies, told franceinfo.

“To have any weight in the concert of space nations, you obviously have to control all the links in the chain and have your launcher. Otherwise, you are not a power in the classic sense of the term.”adds sociologist Arnaud Saint-Martin, research fellow at the CNRS and co-author of the book A History of Space Conquest, from Nazi Rockets to New Space Astrocapitalists. “Europe needs a heavy launcher”he insists.

Because it is a broader sovereignty issue

Since July 2023, Europe has had to rely on its partners to go into space. This is how a flagship ESA program, the Euclid probe, specialized in the study of dark matter and dark energy, was launched with a SpaceX rocket. Europe also called on the services of billionaire Elon Musk’s company for two launches of Galileo satellites, the European GPS.

“You can hitchhike, but the day you need to take the car, it’s still more convenient to have your own to get where you want to go, on the day you want to go.”

Isabelle Soubès-Verger, geographer and research director at the CNRS

to franceinfo

With Ariane 6, Europe will regain control and will no longer depend on its partners, with whom there is no guarantee that good relations will last forever. Basically, sovereignty in access to space is crucial, because satellites are essential for a very large number of strategic activities. “The issue of preserving autonomous and independent access to space is extremely important, because it is linked to many applications of general interest”underlines Arnaud Saint-Martin.

These can be classic Earth observation services related to meteorology, climate studies, or sciences such as astronomy and cosmology, which allow us to study the origins and evolution of the universe. They also concern navigation systems and fundamental and international clocks, which work together. The latter are fundamental because they also coordinate electricity and transport networks.

The military sector also relies heavily on space: data acquired from space provides important information to armies on troop movements or the emergence of new ground infrastructures. “The countries that have the most developed military programs are generally also those that have the most developed Earth observation space programs.”explains Paul Wohrer, a space specialist at the French Institute of International Relations, in a podcast from his institution. He also notes that spatial geolocation data is used for missile guidance.

Because Europe intends to maintain its influence in the regulation of space

“Europe is a great space power”said Arianespace Executive Chairman Stéphane Israël on franceinfo in November 2023, following the ESA summit in Seville (Spain). An assertion that sounds like a reminder, at a time when the landscape of the space sector is changing greatly with the emergence of new powers and sometimes very powerful private players, such as SpaceX.

New activities are developing rapidly, such as satellite constellations for telecommunications, and new texts are continually under discussion in an attempt to establish new standards.

“If we want to have any influence in international negotiations, we must at least have free access to the environment we intend to regulate.”

Paul Wohrer, specialist in space issues at the French Institute of International Relations

to franceinfo

At the speed at which space is evolving, Ariane 6 will probably have a shorter lifespan than Ariane 5, which was in service for twenty-seven years. However, this new rocket remains necessary to restore Europe’s sovereignty in space and to not let the Old Continent fall behind.