Vega And Ariane 6 Woes Drive European Space Launch Crisis

vega c on launchpad

After a successful inaugural launch, the upgraded Vega C failed during its first commercial flight.

Credit: M. Pedoussaut/ESA
Europe learned about sovereign access to space the hard way. In 1974, the Symphonie-A telecommunications satellite, a Franco-German design, was placed into orbit by a U.S. launcher. The good news was the agreement with NASA; the not-so-good news was that it followed the failure of a program to build...
Thierry Dubois

Thierry Dubois has specialized in aerospace journalism since 1997. An engineer in fluid dynamics from Toulouse-based Enseeiht, he covers the French commercial aviation, defense and space industries. His expertise extends to all things technology in Europe. Thierry is also the editor-in-chief of Aviation Week’s ShowNews. 

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