Brussels, 02/08/2012 (Agence Europe) - European rocket Ariane 5 is due to launch two communications satellites in the night of Thursday 2 to Friday 3 August from the base at Kourou in French Guiana. This will be the fourth Ariane 5 launch from Kourou this year, and, it is hoped, the 50th trouble-free launch since 2003, after the failure in December 2002. The future of Ariane 5 will have to be rethought, however, so that the European launcher retains its top spot in a very tight global market (20 commercial satellite launches per year) and meets the needs of the market.
Staying ahead. While, with this European rocket, Arianespace dominates the satellite launch market, followed by Russia, the European company, which has 21 shareholders from ten EU states, will have to undertake changes to its rocket if it is to maintain the lead. Two options are under consideration: either modification or replacement of the current Ariane 5. The decision is expected to come towards the end of the year at the European Space Agency (ESA) ministerial meeting on 20-21 November.
Is Ariane 6 a possibility? Projects in the mix are looking, on the one hand, at development towards Ariane 5 MLE (“Midlife Evolution”), allowing the rocket to carry 12 tonnes rather than the current ten, and to put two satellites into orbit in one launch, and, on the other, transformation into Ariane 6 “New Generation launcher”, which could also transport two satellites, depending on what is asked. The more flexible Ariane 6 could launch three- or six-tonne loads and would be operational by 2021 at the latest - with Ariane 5 ME up and running by 2017.
Ministerial decision. The ministers of the 19 ESA member states (17 EU member states, plus Norway and Switzerland) will meet at the end of November to make a decision on the way forward. At this stage, no specific option would seem to be ahead among the ESA members. As a source in the inter-governmental agency said: “The die will not be cast before the conference. The countries are still reflecting on where to put their money”. The ESA proposed a compromise solution at the start of July, giving precedence to Ariane 6 but with an 18-month reflection period with the industry. France, whose opinion will carry some weight, backs this option which is “a step towards convergence”, as Space Minister Geneviève Fioraso told the daily French daily Le Monde on Thursday 2 August. (MD/transl.rt)