European ministers agree on Ariane 5 upgrade, Orion participation
Posted: Thu, Nov 22, 2012, 1:13 PM ET (1813 GMT)
Ministers from the 20 member states of the European Space Agency (ESA) concluded their two-day meeting Wednesday, agreeing to develop an upgraded version of the Ariane 5 launch vehicle and to provide a service module for NASA's Orion spacecraft. ESA ministers decided to pursue development of an upgraded Ariane 5, called the Ariane 5 Midlife Evolution (ME), to increase the vehicle's payload capacity. ESA selected that option over immediate development of a successor vehicle, Ariane 6; ESA decided to instead fund design studies on the Ariane 6 and defer a decision on its development until 2014. Ministers also agreed to build a service module for NASA's Orion spacecraft as its contribution to ISS operations after 2017. Officials also made decisions on other ESA programs, including rejecting a German-led proposal for a robotic lunar lander mission but agreeing to cooperate with Russia on the ExoMars program.
Ministers from the 20 member states of the European Space Agency (ESA) concluded their two-day meeting Wednesday, agreeing to develop an upgraded version of the Ariane 5 launch vehicle and to provide a service module for NASA's Orion spacecraft. ESA ministers decided to pursue development of an upgraded Ariane 5, called the Ariane 5 Midlife Evolution (ME), to increase the vehicle's payload capacity. ESA selected that option over immediate development of a successor vehicle, Ariane 6; ESA decided to instead fund design studies on the Ariane 6 and defer a decision on its development until 2014. Ministers also agreed to build a service module for NASA's Orion spacecraft as its contribution to ISS operations after 2017. Officials also made decisions on other ESA programs, including rejecting a German-led proposal for a robotic lunar lander mission but agreeing to cooperate with Russia on the ExoMars program.| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
Space Force selects companies to develop space-based interceptor prototypes
Posted: Sun, Nov 30 8:40 AM ET (1340 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Wednesday, December 3
Musk’s Starlink rival Eutelsat shares plummet 7% after report of SoftBank cutting its stake
CNBC — 5:31 am ET (1031 GMT) SpaceX skirts the weather to launch 29 Starlink satellites
Spectrum News — 5:29 am ET (1029 GMT) From college dropout to ASU alum to Space Force general
Arizona State Univ. — 5:28 am ET (1028 GMT) Satellite intelligence mission celebrates launch
BBC — 5:27 am ET (1027 GMT) Brevard to ask state for hearing on Blue Origin’s lagoon discharge request
WMFE-FM Orlando — 5:25 am ET (1025 GMT) |
