“Pressure is mounting” on Europe’s space industry to “act quickly” to secure the maiden flight of its future Ariane 6 rocket, scheduled for late 2023 from Kourou, after numerous delays, officials said at a program on Thursday, as quoted by AFP.

“The pressure is on, it is vital to fly as soon as possible and our teams are doing everything possible to set a date for the flight as soon as possible,” said Martin Sion, executive chairman of ArianeGroup, after a working group meeting for the Ariane 6 launch at the Mureaux (Yvelines) plant near of Paris

Dependence on the Russians

Ariane 6 is to replace Ariane 5, which will make its final flight next week from the Kourou space base in French Guiana, where activity has plummeted since Russian Soyuz rockets were grounded following the invasion of Ukraine.

The European Space Agency is currently only able to manage manned missions in space thanks to international cooperation, and Western European countries are struggling to launch satellites after war broke out in Ukraine, blocking access to Roscosmos’ Soyuz rocket, Italy’s Vega-C launch vehicle technical problems arose and the inauguration of the next Ariane 6 rocket was marked by repeated delays.

While waiting for Ariane 6, Europe will be effectively without autonomous access to space for many months.

3 years delay

“That’s one of the main reasons why we feel so much pressure, because most institutional missions have flown on Soyuz. That’s why we need to move quickly so that Ariane 6 can quickly carry out these missions,” said Philippe Baptiste, CNES CEO.

“Our priority is independent access to space,” added Josef Aschbacher, Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA).

Representatives of the working group (ESA, CNES, ArianeGroup and Arianespace) did not give a date for the first flight, nor did they offer assurances that the deadline set last fall for the end of 2023 will be met, although the program is designed to last three years. ago.

Last November, the European Space Agency asked its 22 member states to approve a 25% increase in funding for space-related activities to remain a valued partner of the United States.

The U.S. is now the undisputed leader of the new space race, with NASA’s budget increased significantly after the White House made it its goal to return American astronauts to the moon.

According to official data presented by the government in Washington, the US space agency’s budget has grown annually since 2020, reaching $32 billion by 2023.

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