France Says All Options for Launch Program on the Table

摘要

France's space minister on March 17 said France has made no judgment about whether both a modified Ariane 5 rocket, favored by Germany, and an all-new Ariane 6, favored by France, can be financed given the current pressure on French and other European government budgets. Genevieve Fioraso, France's minister for higher education and research, which with the French defense ministry oversees French space policy, said no formal decision on the Ariane 5 ME enhancement and the Ariane 6 will be made until this summer. Addressing a press briefing here to announce that French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, part of the European Space Agency's astronaut corps, will fly to the international space station for a six-month mission in 2016, Fioraso said all options are on the table.