Member states of the European Space Agency (ESA) have approved development of the next-generation launch vehicle, Ariane 6, which will replace Ariane 5 ECA system.
The proposed project is part of efforts to reduce launch costs and tackle increasing competition.
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French research minister Genevieve Fioraso was quoted by Reuters as saying: "This decision will safeguard 16,000 direct jobs in France and 35,000 in Europe."
The Ariane 6 programme will be allocated half of the €8bn budget approved for the launch-related programmes over ten years.
The funding also includes €800m for the International Space Station and related activities up to 2017, and ExoMars mission to Mars in 2018.
Airbus Group and Safran have welcomed the latest decision and have created new joint venture named Airbus Safran Launchers, which combines their launcher systems and propulsion systems operations.
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By GlobalDataAirbus space chief Francois Auque said: "Things have moved at an unprecedented speed in this sector: the speed of light."
Scheduled for first flight in 2020, the Ariane 6 rocket’s components were examined, including single and dual-payloads, solid or cryogenic propulsion for the main stage, and the number of stages to cover various missions, the ESA said.
With a length of 63m, the three-stage launcher will have cryogenic main stage with external diameter of 4.6m and capacity to carry around 149t of propellants.
ESA director general Jean-Jacques Dordain said that there will be one launch of the Ariane 6 in 2020 and four in 2021, with plans to take up 11 missions in 2023.
Image: Artistic view of the Ariane 6 four boosters configuration (A64). Photo: courtesy of ESA-D. Ducros, 2014.
