Author Topic: OHB proposal: EU Galileo constellation, Ariane 6 & SpaceX  (Read 3641 times)

Offline Svetoslav

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Hello,

This is what I saw on the French Challenges magazine. If this is not suitable for a separate thread (I really wondered where to post it), I'll ask mods to place it somewhere else.

Link:

https://www.challenges.fr/entreprise/ariane-6-le-coup-de-poignard-de-l-allemand-ohb-qui-pousse-spacex_805619

Apparently OHB wants the Galileo satellites to be launched with SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets instead of Ariane 6. This is quite surprising as OHB is a minority shareholder in Arianespace.

Unfortunately, most of the article is behind a paywall. Still the basic message is clear: OHB wants Brussels to buy three Falcon 9 launches which would put 2 Galileo satellites per launch. The idea is to send the satellites to space in short term.
« Last Edit: 05/24/2023 10:03 pm by zubenelgenubi »

Offline Rebel44

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Re: EU Galileo constellation, Ariane 6 and SpaceX
« Reply #1 on: 03/21/2022 07:32 am »
Hi, this issue is being discussed here: https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=55854.100

So, you can repost it there and ask mods to delete this thread.
« Last Edit: 03/21/2022 07:33 am by Rebel44 »

Offline woods170

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Re: EU Galileo constellation, Ariane 6 and SpaceX
« Reply #2 on: 03/21/2022 07:41 am »
Hello,

This is what I saw on the French Challenges magazine. If this is not suitable for a separate thread (I really wondered where to post it), I'll ask mods to place it somewhere else.

Link:

https://www.challenges.fr/entreprise/ariane-6-le-coup-de-poignard-de-l-allemand-ohb-qui-pousse-spacex_805619

Apparently OHB wants the Galileo satellites to be launched with SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets instead of Ariane 6. This is quite surprising as OHB is a minority shareholder in Arianespace.

Unfortunately, most of the article is behind a paywall. Still the basic message is clear: OHB wants Brussels to buy three Falcon 9 launches which would put 2 Galileo satellites per launch. The idea is to send the satellites to space in short term.

First off: there are several mistakes in the article:
- The article claims OHB is a shareholder of Arianespace. That is only partially correct. OHB is not a direct shareholder. Only OHB's subsidiary MT Aerospace holds shares in Arianespace.

- The article claims that OHB holds a little less than 10% of the capital in Arianespace. That is incorrect as well. Airbus Safran Launchers holds 74% of the Arianespace capital. The remaining 26% is spread out over 15 other shareholders, of which OHB's subsidiary MT Aerospace is just one. They own slightly less than one-tenth of that remaining 26%. Which boils down to owing just ~2.5% of Arianespace capital.

Furthermore:
The article is about OHB proposing to launch the remaining 10 satellites of the first-generation Galileo on Falcon 9 (six satellites on 3 launches) and the RFA ONE rocket (four satellites on four launches).

That has everything to do with this: https://spacenews.com/esa-airbus-sign-long-delayed-galileo-contract-after-court-ruling/

AND this: "Rocket Factory Augsburg AG, a subsidiary of space and high-tech group OHB SE"

This "proposal" from OHB is nothing but a thinly veiled attempt to "exact revenge" on Airbus.
Reasons:
- OHB lost out to Airbus for the contract to build the second generation Galileo satellites
- The last six first-generation Galileo satellites are planned to be launched on Ariane 6. Primary competing vehicle for Ariane 6 is the F9 and Airbus is THE largest contractor for Ariane 6.

Therefore: getting the last 10 first-gen satellites launched on anything NOT Airbus, would be a form of corporate revenge as well as trying to get some of the lost Euros back to OHB thru RFA ONE.
OHB's appeal for Falcon 9 (it is launching while Ariane 6 is not yet ready) is just them taking advantage of Soyuz dropping away due to the current geopolitical situation.

In reality there is no hurry to get those remaining 10 Galileo's up and running. At least, not the kind of hurry that would "require" the next six to be launched on F9.

But it won't work. The launch of the final six first-gen Galileo satellites has already been awareded EUSPA to Arianespace. Only the four left stranded by Soyuz are still up for grabs. OHB's appeal is too late. It is just a piss-poor attempt to bend the current geopolitical situation to their advantage while at the same time taking a stab at Airbus.
« Last Edit: 03/21/2022 02:27 pm by woods170 »

Offline woods170

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Re: EU Galileo constellation, Ariane 6 and SpaceX
« Reply #3 on: 03/21/2022 07:43 am »
Hi, this issue is being discussed here: https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=55854.100

So, you can repost it there and ask mods to delete this thread.

I disagree. This thread is for the OHB proposal, which is NOT being discussed in the thread you referenced. It has also nothing to do with the going away of Soyuz. Has everything to do with OHB being a bunch of sore losers.

Offline Rebel44

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Re: EU Galileo constellation, Ariane 6 and SpaceX
« Reply #4 on: 03/21/2022 08:02 am »
Hi, this issue is being discussed here: https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=55854.100

So, you can repost it there and ask mods to delete this thread.

I disagree. This thread is for the OHB proposal, which is NOT being discussed in the thread you referenced. It has also nothing to do with the going away of Soyuz. Has everything to do with OHB being a bunch of sore losers.

Well, it sure seems to me that such a proposal is significantly tied to "Implications of Russo-Ukrainian War for spaceflight"...

Offline kdhilliard

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Re: EU Galileo constellation, Ariane 6 and SpaceX
« Reply #5 on: 03/21/2022 02:50 pm »
Courtesy links (for those of us not familiar with the European space scene):
  Corporate: https://www.ohb.de/en/
  Wikipedia: OHB SE
                : OHB SE § Galileo
Quote
OHB SE is a European multinational technology corporation. Headquartered in Bremen, Germany, the corporation consists of the two business divisions Space Systems and Aerospace + Industrial Products.  A key product of the corporation is fully integrated spacecraft.  At present OHB is the third largest corporation in Europe's space sector.

The company OHB System AG is a major constituent of the OHB corporation. This company was founded in 1958 as a marine systems outfitter. The name OHB originates from this time; the name is an initialism of Otto Hydraulic Bremen. However the activities of the company shifted toward space technology in the 1980s after the couple Christa Fuchs and Manfred Fuchs took over ownership of the company.

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