LUXEMBOURG — The member governments of the European Space Agency on Dec. 2 of 2014 agreed to develop a new-generation Ariane 6 rocket to maintain Europe’s share of the global commercial launch market, to enhance the power of the current Vega small-satellite launcher and fund the use of the international space station through 2017.The space station funding included the remaining payments needed to build the propulsion module for NASA’s second Orion deep-space crew capsule, which is slated to pay an unmanned visit to near-lunar space in 2017 or 2018.The spending package also included sufficient new cash to continue work on the Euro-Russian ExoMars mission to Mars, notably with a European rover to launch in 2018, and funds for a series of telecommunications programs including new partnerships with commercial fleet operators Intelsat of the United States, Inmarsat of London and Eutelsat of Paris.ESA governments plan to spend nearly 8.2 billion euros ($10.2 billion) over 10 years on launch-related programs. Slightly more than half of this will go to developing the new Ariane 6, to be operational in 2020. The rocket will feature either two or four solid-rocket strap-on boosters, depending on the mission. GTD is going to be strongly involved in all of those 4 programs, especially in the biggest: ARIANE 6. GTD is a direct provider of prime contractor AIRBUS-SAFRAN Joint Venture for the development of the new launcher, and as well, GTD will be direct contractor of French Space Agency (CNES) for the development of ARIANE 6 launch pad in Kourou (French Guyana). Spain is subscribing up to 6% of the program and that gives enough funding for Airbus Spain and GTD to vehicle the Spanish return on Ariane 6.The Ariane 6 business model presumes that it will be possible to find commercial customers for six launches per year. The heavier Ariane 64 vehicle will have to be sold at cost — about 91 million euros for a vehicle carrying two commercial satellites into geostationary orbit (11,5 Tn) — to remain competitive.
