Full Ariane 6 rocket funding released by Esa

The final tranche of R&D funding needed to introduce a new rocket for Europe was committed on Wednesday.


The European Space Agency has amended an August 2015 contract with Airbus Safran Launchers (ASL), to release a further €1.7bn.

It tops up initial monies of €680m and means ASL can now complete development of the Ariane 6, BBC News reports.

This new rocket will replace the Ariane 5 but, crucially, aims to cut current launch prices in half.

The move to a new vehicle is seen as vital if Europe is to maintain its competitive position.

The Ariane 5 is still the dominant player in the market for big commercial satellite launches, but this position is being challenged by a new wave of American offerings, in particular from the California SpaceX company.

This US firm’s Falcon 9 rocket already undercuts the Ariane 5 on price and will get even cheaper if efforts to fly each vehicle multiple times prove successful.

The contract amendment signed in Paris follows approval by key committees at Esa in the past few days.

They signaled their contentment with the preliminary design progress on the Ariane 6 and the reorganization in Europe’s rocket industry required to implement vehicle production.

The last detail to be agreed was the establishment of a second line of fabrication for the carbon-fibre casings of the 6’s strap-on, solid-fuel boosters.

This will be in Germany and will supplement the line already planned in Italy.