Josef Aschbacher, ESA's new director general recently presented that by 2035, "ESA has created a completely new, more competitive, and reusable launcher system". In the near term, "future technology maturation, such as reusability, new engines.." ESA aims to have a new reusable launcher in service in 2030."Reusability and very low cost liquid propulsion are the central themes [...]" states a document authored by France's general secretariat [..] This launcher should have two reusable stages [...]. "Reusability is relevent, even for a low cadence [...]"
From the 3 May AV week article. Bold is mine.QuoteJosef Aschbacher, ESA's new director general recently presented that by 2035, "ESA has created a completely new, more competitive, and reusable launcher system". In the near term, "future technology maturation, such as reusability, new engines.." ESA aims to have a new reusable launcher in service in 2030."Reusability and very low cost liquid propulsion are the central themes [...]" states a document authored by France's general secretariat [..] This launcher should have two reusable stages [...]. "Reusability is relevent, even for a low cadence [...]"So reusability mentioned six times in two paragraphs, including four quotes. Seems like they got the message.
Quote from: LouScheffer on 05/17/2021 01:27 pmFrom the 3 May AV week article. Bold is mine.QuoteJosef Aschbacher, ESA's new director general recently presented that by 2035, "ESA has created a completely new, more competitive, and reusable launcher system". In the near term, "future technology maturation, such as reusability, new engines.." ESA aims to have a new reusable launcher in service in 2030."Reusability and very low cost liquid propulsion are the central themes [...]" states a document authored by France's general secretariat [..] This launcher should have two reusable stages [...]. "Reusability is relevent, even for a low cadence [...]"So reusability mentioned six times in two paragraphs, including four quotes. Seems like they got the message.Yeah.... only eight years late...
Quote from: LouScheffer on 05/17/2021 01:27 pmSo reusability mentioned six times in two paragraphs, including four quotes. Seems like they got the message.Yeah.... only eight years late...
So reusability mentioned six times in two paragraphs, including four quotes. Seems like they got the message.
Quote from: LouScheffer on 05/17/2021 01:27 pmFrom the 3 May AV week article. Bold is mine.QuoteJosef Aschbacher, ESA's new director general recently presented that by 2035, "ESA has created a completely new, more competitive, and reusable launcher system". In the near term, "future technology maturation, such as reusability, new engines.." ESA aims to have a new reusable launcher in service in 2030."Reusability and very low cost liquid propulsion are the central themes [...]" states a document authored by France's general secretariat [..] This launcher should have two reusable stages [...]. "Reusability is relevent, even for a low cadence [...]"So reusability mentioned six times in two paragraphs, including four quotes. Seems like they got the message.Oh man, by *2030*! Just *tearing* along then. Oh dear...
They've looked into this before:https://sites.google.com/site/exosnews/home/rockets/adelinehttps://futurism.com/the-byte/europe-reusable-rocket-design-spacex
Quote from: jbenton on 05/20/2021 02:05 amThey've looked into this before:https://sites.google.com/site/exosnews/home/rockets/adelinehttps://futurism.com/the-byte/europe-reusable-rocket-design-spacexNo, they've looked into this way before.Ariane-X, reusable VTVL rocket proposed in 1981, planned introduction in 1995.
Quote from: woods170 on 05/17/2021 01:30 pmQuote from: LouScheffer on 05/17/2021 01:27 pmSo reusability mentioned six times in two paragraphs, including four quotes. Seems like they got the message.Yeah.... only eight years late...What do you want, a country in an alternate timeline that does it ten years earlier than SpaceX?
Quote from: Pipcard on 05/19/2021 10:20 pmQuote from: woods170 on 05/17/2021 01:30 pmQuote from: LouScheffer on 05/17/2021 01:27 pmSo reusability mentioned six times in two paragraphs, including four quotes. Seems like they got the message.Yeah.... only eight years late...What do you want, a country in an alternate timeline that does it ten years earlier than SpaceX?No, what I want is an ESA and a CNES and an Arianspace that know how to read the writing on the wall. Because they failed to do so in 2014. They had the perfect opportunity to become close followers of SpaceX and thus remain competitive within the global LSP market.But ESA, CNES and Arianespace failed to read the writing on the wall. And now Europe is stuck with a 'new' launcher which is obsolete by the time it starts flying, having wasted 5 billion Euros and 8 years. Current ESA and CNES efforts for reusability developement are severely being hampered by the money pit that is Ariane 6. Had those Euros been spent on a (partially) reusable launcher eight years ago, than Ariane 6 would be a close follower of Falcon 9, instead of a launcher with no chance of competing.
They didn't have engines then to do RLV. A6 was best ELV they could do with what they had
[...] and most importantly cheaper and more versatile than A5.
What is the point of competing for Europe ?The priority for Europe should be to make sure they can timely launch their own payloads at a reasonable cost without having to beg for a launch from a foreign partner.
A few reasons.1. Historically they’ve been competitive enough to make money. Ariane 5 managed to be a world leader in some areas of sat launch for quite a while. This one can obviously be forgone as a nice to have rather than must have.