ESA Tells Germany How Ariane 6 Would Save Everyone Money

摘要

The European Space Agency is proposing to inject 8 billion euros ($10 billion) into Europe's launch sector over 10 years starting in 2015, including some 4.3 billion euros on a new Ariane 6 rocket, on the basis of a contract arrangement with industry in which ESA guarantees five government missions per year and in return industry fends for itself on the wider commercial market. The proposal, delivered in the form of a 19-page response to Ariane 6 questions posed by Germany - the only big ESA member that has resisted the program - says the new Ariane 6 will cost ESA governments less to use than the current Ariane 5 and Europeanized Russian Soyuz rocket.