The 22 member states of the European Space Agency (ESA) have agreed to provide “financial support” to ensure the economic viability and competitiveness of the Ariane 6 and Vega-C rockets, which are strategic for Europe’s autonomous access to space, the director announced. on Monday, ESA General Joseph Aschbacher was quoted as saying by AFP.

The agreement, concluded at the Space Summit in Seville (Spain), provides an annual subsidy of up to 340 million euros to finance the economic balance of the Ariane 6 rocket from the 16th to the 42nd flights.

This corresponds to planned launches between 2026 and 2030. The financial balance of the first 15 flights has already been secured by a preliminary agreement.

For the small Italian Vega-C rocket, grounded after an accident in December 2022, government subsidies could reach 21 million euros a year from its 26th to 42nd flight, Aschbacher said.

These subsidies should ensure that the two rockets can withstand stiff international competition, especially from the US company Space X, which alone launches nearly two rockets a week.

In addition to the grant, ESA has committed to buying four “institutional” flights a year with Ariane 6 and three with Vega-C to put European satellites into orbit.

Ariane 6 is expected to make its first flight in 2024, four years late. That delay, combined with inflation, has created “significant additional costs,” according to a source close to the matter.

The deal is a “great relief,” Aschbacher said at a news conference, given the conflicting positions of major investors.

Paris called for such support for Ariane 6 and Rome for similar support for Vega-C, while Berlin condemned the “bankruptcy of the system” and urged European launchers to compete.

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