Facing SpaceX, Arianespace Wants Taxpayer Help

Ariane V
Credit : Arianespace

Aviation Week is reporting that European launch company Arianespace  is preparing to ask the European Union for increased subsidies in the face of competition from SpaceX and difficulties with exchange rates.

“Given the weakness of the dollar and the situation with SpaceX, it is not out of the question that our effort to raise our competitiveness must be accompanied by increased government support for the exploitation of Ariane 5,”

–Stephane Israel,  Arianespace Chairman and CEO

The full story is here:

Compared to the blanket  subsidy which domestic competitor  United Launch Alliance (ULA) receives whether it launches anything or not,  averaging nearly $1 billion per year since the Falcon 9 first took flight,  the European subsidy is much smaller, and is used to offset any annual operating losses by Arianespace, which currently offers the Ariane V, Commercial Soyuz and Vega launch vehicles from French Guiana.

One point worth considering, SpaceX is fighting more than just the force of gravity and the rocket equation.  It is also battling a heavily subsidized competitor in the U.S.,  a quasi-governmental competitor in Arianespace, while competing directly against the governments of Russia and China.  Based on the results however, it would seem that subsidies no matter who provides them,  are poor a match for technology and a sound  business plan.

Will “777” Be a Lucky Number for the European Space Agency?

Ariane VI
Credit : ESA

According to a release from the European Space Agency, Europe is one step closer in plans for producing the next generation replacement for the market dominating Ariane V commercial booster. The new booster, dubbed Ariane VI, marks a curious retreat in capabilities from its predecessor, and the wholesale adoption of a business plan which seems totally contingent on the failure of SpaceX and its drive for re-usability.

At issue is the fact that following a Ministerial meeting last year, and at the urging of France, ESA has adopted a mostly solid fuel based design which would see three first stage solid boosters, a solid second stage booster, and finally a cryogenic liquid fueled third stage based on the Ariane V mid-life evolution upper stage engine currently being developed.  According to most reports, the reason for the switch to solid propulsion is to allow mass production of the stage segments in an effort to lower costs and reach a “777” goal consisting of a 7 year development time frame, a 7 metric ton capacity to geostationary orbit and $70 million Euro launch costs.  Along the way, they hope to avoid adding a fourth 7, as in a seven billion dollar development costs, shooting instead for between four and five billion. Of course, given the cost creep which seems to accompany any large public development project, the Ariane VI might just reach this unwanted milestone anyway.

As critics have pointed out, even if ESA is completely successful in its goals, it would still result in a booster which likely precludes any independent European crew capable launch vehicle for decades to come.  Also at risk is the fact that that after the Ariane V is retired, Europe might no longer be in a position to field a more capable booster if it wanted to, whereas a decision to proceed with a liquid fueled booster might have protected this potential.  Also, for environmentally sensitive Europe, doubling down on considerably more toxic solid propulsion elements is a curious choice at best.  Finally there is this.  If SpaceX is successful in achieving even partial re-usability, the $70 million Euro launch cost being pursued will be piteously inadequate for keeping Europe competitive, and any subsequent cost growth  would likely drive it further away from other competitors as well.

While Europe’s long term launcher plans may appear to be of limited relevance at the moment, it is important to remember that for any launch development project, time frames almost always stretch out, and  major changes such as those being contemplated occur infrequently at best.  The fact that what is for the moment the world’s leading commercial launch operation appears to be closing the door, rather than stepping through it and following SpaceX in pursuing re-usability is not an encouraging development for anyone interested in seeing a global expansion in space commerce.  If events follow predicable paths, ESA, having gambled on the past and lost, will fight back with the only remaining tool left, governmental intervention to skew the playing field in its favor.

Delta Heavy, Ariane V Prepare for Launch

Ready
Credit : United Launch Alliance

It is a busy week for two of the world’s most powerful launch vehicles

A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy booster stands ready to blast into orbit today from Vandenberg, A.F.B. in California,  carrying a National Reconnaissance Office payload designated NROL-65, on a liftoff scheduled for 10:52 a.m. local,  1:52 p.m. EDT.

This will be the second launch of a Delta Heavy using the upgraded RS-68A engines, and the first to employ a new ignition timing sequence designed to minimize the hydrogen fueled fireball at the base of the pad which normally accompanies Delta Heavy launches. Under the new sequence, the starboard engines fires first, creating a draft which directs the gases from center and port engines down towards the launch platform.  Today’s launch will place the classified payload into a polar orbit.

The next scheduled launch for a Delta Heavy should prove to be an interesting one, it is Exploration Flight Test -1, the first flight test for NASA’s Orion capsule, currently slotted for a September 2014 liftoff from Cape Canaveral.

Meanwhile,  several hundred miles north of the equator in Kourou, French Guiana,  an Arianespace Ariane V booster  is being prepared for a Thursday launch carrying two satellites, Eutelsat 25B/Es’hail 1 and GSAT-7  to Geostationary Transfer Orbit.  Launch is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. local, 4:40 p.m. EDT.

EADS Changes to Name to Airbus Group

The European Aeronautic, Defense and Space Company, EADS, is changing its name to Airbus Group in order to both capitalize on its best known brand, and to reflect the fact that with defense budgets under pressure,  it sees the commercial aircraft business as its main sector of growth for the foreseeable future.

Of particular interest in the aerospace field, EADS subsidiary Astrium, which is the prime contractor for the Ariane V,  will be combined with Cassidian, the defense and security group to become Airbus Defense and Space, with headquarters in Munich, Germany.

It is not clear what if any impact the name change will have on the company’s  overall stance in the continuing evolution of space transportation, but as one of the most dominant players in the industry, any substantive change is noteworthy. To the extent, as press reports suggest, that this effort is meant to unravel some of the tightly bound political and geographic influences which constrain EADS,  it may have more long-term significance in allowing it to respond to market changes, including the emergence of new ones, in the future.

Total Domination
Credit: Arianespace

“Once again, Ariane 5’s unmatched reliability and availability has set the highest standards in the satellite launch business.” – comments by Arianespace CEO Stephane Israel upon Arianespace’s 70^th launch for the Ariane V, and its 56^th successful launch in a row.

Yesterday’s launch of the Ariane V ECA  took place at 4:54 pm local time from Kourou, French Guina,  and carried two satellites to geostationary transfer orbit.  The larger of the two spacecraft is Alphasat, a 6,650 kg  joint venture between the European Space Agency and Inmarsat to demonstrate a new standard platform, Alphabus, built by Astrium and Thales Alenia. In addition to providing routine commercial services, Alphasat is also being used to validate new technologies.

The smaller satellite in the typical dual launch arrangement is INSAT-3D, a 2,200 kg weather satellite developed by ISRO, the Indian Space Research Organization.   

The next Ariane V launch is scheduled for August 29^th.

The comeback of the American launch industry begins one week later.

Two Continents, Two Launches, Two Hours

Baikonur
Credit: Roscosmos

The Soyuz Booster recorded its 1807th and 1808th successful launches in short order yesterday.   At 1:28 p.m. EDT, (9:28 p.m. local) a Soyuz 2-1b blasted off from Baikonur carrying the Resource-P  Russian remote sensing satellite.  Two hours later, at 3:27 p.m. EDT, and half a world away, another Soyuz, this one equipped with a Fregat restartable upper stage, lifted off from the CSG Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. The South American  launch deploying the first four satellites of the 03b constellation had been delayed for a day due to high winds, resulting in the very rare duel launch / same day scenario. 

Despite its recent problems, which seem to have been overcome with a series of successful launches this year, the Russian space industry is in the midst of a remarkable period of dominance marked by a rapid launch tempo in all versions of the Soyuz, a resurgent Proton,   and the comic spectre of two American companies fighting over who has access to Russian built main engines because there aren’t any other suitable alternatives.  Even China, which capped off a second visit to the Tiangong 1 space station with a return to Earth yesterday in a journey which might as well be subtitled “Silent Running” owes a clear debt to Russia for the architecture of its Shenzhou spacecraft.

Although the coincidence of two Soyuz launches within two hours is just that,  even without the delay it still would have been two launches in two days. Still pretty impressive. But it also makes you wonder,  whatever happened to the United States?  With Arianespace exerting similar dominance in the market segment for heavy satellites with the Ariane V, and partnering with Russia in the commerical Soyuz,  one shudders to ask the question just how far away from relevence would the U.S. be if it were not for the NewSpace movement in general,  and a certain company out of Hawthorne, Ca.  in particular. 

Kourou
Credit : Arianespace

Commercial Soyuz Ready for Liftoff

Credit : Arianespace

Update: Today’s launch has been scrubbed due to high winds.  

A commercial Soyuz booster is ready for liftoff today out of the Guiana Space Center in South America at 2:53 p.m.  (3:53)  local carrying four 03b communications satellites.  Today’s launch marks the inauguration  of a new network of satellites built by Thales Alenia,   operating out of medium Earth orbit at an altitude of 8062 kilometers where they will be able to offer much lower latency than satellites stationed in Geostationary orbits.    With connectivity delays only slightly longer than those encountered with ground based internet routing, and in come cases less,  the 03b network will open a chapter in space based communications, and a mark an emerging niche within the overall launch market.  

This launch, conducted by Arianespace, will be performed by the Soyuz 2-1b booster equipped with the Fregat restartable upper stage.  If all goes well it will mark the 1,807th launch for Soyuz overall, and the 9th launch this year, spread out over three different launch centers.  There are currently three more flights for Soyuz scheduled out of French Guiana this year.

Perfect Liftoff for Ariane V

The latest resupply mission to the International Space Station got off to a perfect start yesterday evening with the launch of an Ariane V rocket carrying the Automated Transfer Vehicle ATV-4, “Albert Einstein.”

There is one more ATV planned for ISS, after which the European Space Agency will supply a modified version of the propulsion segment to NASA as service module for the first planned flight of the Orion capsule aboard SLS in 2017.

Yesterday’s launch marked another in a long string of successful flights for the Ariane V, which flew in its ES version configured with a storable propellant upper stage specifically designed for boosting heavily laden ATV’s to the space station’s orbit. The flight was the 69th overall for Ariane V and 54th successful launch in a row for the world’s premier heavy lift booster, a streak which began 10 years ago.

By contrast the sole American heavy lift vehicle currently in service, the EELV program’s Delta IV Heavy,  has flown just six times over a nine-year time frame, with one partial failure on its maiden flight and no commercial payloads.

ATV “Albert Einstein” Poised for Liftoff

Ready
Credit : Arianespace

The countdown is underway at Kourou, French Guiana for this evening’s launch of the European ATV supply ship  “Albert Einstein” to the International Space Station.  Launch is scheduled aboard the Ariane V booster at precisely 6:52:11 p.m. local (5:52:11 p.m. US EDT.)  Today’s launch will mark the fourth flight of the Automated Transfer Vehicle, and the heaviest payload ever carried by the Ariane V, with a liftoff mass of 20,235 kg, coming on the vehicle’s 69th flight. 

Unlike recent Soyuz ascents, the ATV will not be arriving at the station in a hurry, with docking scheduled for June 15th.  Today’s launch will be broadcast on-line here with coverage beginning a hour before liftoff.