Ariane 6 set-up has risks for European space policy

Subject

The outlook for the European space sector.

Significance

Construction of a launch pad for Europe's proposed Ariane 6 rocket is getting underway this month at an abandoned quarry in French Guiana. The European Space Agency (ESA) approved in mid-July the 4.6-billion-dollar contract to develop and build the next generation of the satellite launch vehicle. The Ariane 6 arrangements pioneer a more commercial ESA approach but carry political risks for European space policy.

Impacts

• Some US competition to Ariane is being affected by uncertainty over the future of Russian rocket engines, as a result of Western sanctions.
• Launch systems elsewhere are aging or, in Russia and China, affected by political restrictions on sales to Western customers.
• As part of the new deal, Airbus Safran will have to operate without ESA annual price support for Ariane commercial launches.
• The Ariane 6 industry team will be under pressure to deliver the new rocket by 2020 and within strict cost limits.
• For the Ariane 6, Airbus Safran aims to halve the price of a telecommunications satellite launch.