Longer term, CNES has proposed to ESA a liquid oxygen/liquid methane engine called Prometheus, designed to cost one-tenth of the Ariane 5’s Vulcain main-stage engine.ESA Launcher Director Gaele Winters said the agency will propose to its governments in December a development program based on Prometheus.CNES officials have said they are working with the German and Italian space agencies to craft a four-year, 125-million-euro Prometheus development that would end with a small demonstrator, called Callisto, in 2020.
Simultaneously, France, Germany and Japan have started research on a reusable first stage prototype, named Callisto.To be launched from French Guiana, this mini vehicle ten meters high, which will be equipped with a Japanese engine will go up to a hundred kilometers above sea level, before descending for landing. Its promoters are targetting a date of 2020 for a first test.Callisto project at this stage cost a hundred million euros. It will also be presented at the Ministerial Conference in Lucerne.
French space minister calls for European rocket R&D effort, says SpaceX victory still TBD -
Mandon was referring to a reusable, liquid-oxygen, liquid-methane engine that France has been working on, called Promethee. France would like to Europeanize the effort, offering to subcontract major elements to Germany and other European partners in exchange for financial contributions.Mandon’s calling the propulsion system both Promethee, French for Prometheus, and Prometheus presages a French effort this December to persuade European Space Agency governments to fund the new propulsion system.
Dream Chaser .
its very tbd but we (Galileo) could be first on Ariane 6.2
Quote from: Jester on 07/29/2016 03:52 pmits very tbd but we (Galileo) could be first on Ariane 6.2do you have an estimated year as to when this might occur?? I assume this flight(s) would either be Block-II expansion or replenishment flights.
Quote from: russianhalo117 on 07/29/2016 04:14 pmQuote from: Jester on 07/29/2016 03:52 pmits very tbd but we (Galileo) could be first on Ariane 6.2do you have an estimated year as to when this might occur?? I assume this flight(s) would either be Block-II expansion or replenishment flights.Most likely 2021 (possibly the second A6 flight overall). I guess it would be Galileo FOC M10 carrying FM27-30(considering a Ariane 5 FOC M9 flight in 2019-2020) All very speculative.
Quote from: Rik ISS-fan on 07/29/2016 04:26 pmQuote from: russianhalo117 on 07/29/2016 04:14 pmQuote from: Jester on 07/29/2016 03:52 pmits very tbd but we (Galileo) could be first on Ariane 6.2do you have an estimated year as to when this might occur?? I assume this flight(s) would either be Block-II expansion or replenishment flights.Most likely 2021 (possibly the second A6 flight overall). I guess it would be Galileo FOC M10 carrying FM27-30(considering a Ariane 5 FOC M9 flight in 2019-2020) All very speculative. We should find out more during the November ESA Ministerial Council meeting as there is to be a discussion and vote planned on whether to exercise the Galileo contract options for up to two additional Ariane 5ES-Galileo launchers to finish out Galileo First Generation Constellation (GFG) or place them on Soyuz-STB/Fregat-MT or Ariane 6.2.
This LOX/Methane engine is too late. They should have never stopped development of the VOLGA engine of the French with Russia. They could have had the engine by now if they never stopped development.If this engine ever comes to light SpaceX is probably going to be flying reusables by then.
I think there's a mistake in this picture. It looks like there's a tank underneath the intertank structure of the second stage.