The
future of Europe's space programme came under the spotlight in this southern
Italian city Tuesday, where ministers discussed rival plans for a successor to
the successful Ariane 5 launcher. The 20-nation European Space Agency, meeting
at ministerial level for the first time in four years, is staging two days of
budget talks.
The
meeting takes place against a backdrop of money worries, a fast-shifting
satellite market and the growing strength of the US private sector in
near-Earth space."This council (meeting) is crucial to sustain autonomous
European access to Space..." France's Research Minister Genevieve Fioraso
said in a speech prepared for the opening and sent to AFP.
In
an interview with AFP last week, ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain said
he hoped members would back a three-year budget of 12 billion euros ($15
billion) but added he would be happy with "something around 10 billion
euros."It would mean a roughly stable budget compared with current levels,
"but given the current situation, this is not small beer", he said.
One
of the most crucial agenda items was deciding on a future generation of rocket
launcher to replace the ageing Ariane 5.The new rocket should provide more
flexible launch options for the swiftly-changing satellite market. France is
pushing for a smaller, sleeker Ariane 6 launcher system, which would require
about four billion euros, culminating in a maiden flight in 2021 if all goes
well.
Germany
wants a less ambitious option, an Ariane 5 ME (for "Midlife
Evolution"), which would be readier sooner at a putative cost of two
billion euros. Weighing on many minds is not just belt-tightening but also the
rise of the US private sector. Last month, the US firm SpaceX sent an unmanned
freighter, Dragon, to the International Space Station under a NASA initiative
to delegate resupply missions to private corporations after the phase-out of
the US space shuttle.
In
an interview with the BBC in London on Monday, SpaceX boss Elon Musk said
Ariane 5 "has no chance" of competing on cost terms with the firm's
Falcon 9 and planned Falcon Heavy rockets."If I were in the position of
Ariane, I would really push for an Ariane 6," he said. SpaceX says it has
an order book for more than 40 launches to resupply the ISS and place
commercial and government satellites in orbit.
For
further information visit: http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Arianes_future_at_heart_of_European_space_meet_999.html
No comments:
Post a Comment