The team of ArianeGroup, Soframe and Thales developing the X-Fire rocket system says they plan to offer conventional ballistic missile strike capability to engage targets at up to 2,500 km.
Thales has demonstrated a second key element of the company's effort, with French partners, to deliver a deep-strike system of the country’s armed forces.
Thales and ArianeGroup have flown the ground-launched FLP-T 150 missile in support of France’s desire to field such a weapon to quickly employ conventional warheads.
ESA and ArianeGroup are looking to advance work on a hydrogen peroxide and ethanol rocket engine that would be more sustainable than those using current propellants.
ArianeGroup is accelerating the production of strap-on boosters to ramp up the launch cadence of the two-booster Ariane 62 and four-booster Ariane 64 versions.
MaiaSpace, an ArianeGroup subsidiary developing a small, reusable launcher, has plans for a larger version with twice the payload, CEO Yohann Leroy said.
A year after launch of the project, Climate Impulse is reporting progress toward its goal of flying around the world nonstop on hydrogen-electric power in 2028.
The election of Donald Trump to another term as U.S. president has become a rallying point for the European space sector to strengthen sovereign capabilities.