Trägerrakete Ariane 6

ESA Launcher Director: We're still weighing possible horizontal integration of Ariane 6 rocket to cut costs; we need to decide by July 16.

Eutelsat CEO to Euro govts: Don't mess up Ariane 6 w/ new features, reusability options etc. Build it to fly as is in 2020. Modify it later.

Airbus Safran Launchers CEO: Integrated co. to be 8,000 people, 16 sites France/Germany, civil/military vehicles & EUR 2.5B ($2.75B) in rev.

MT Aerospace (Ariane component builder) CEO: Meeting Ariane 6 cost goals will be 'a painful process.... in long term, a reduced work force.'

Eutelsat CEO: We're Ariane's #1 customer because we're loyal to Europe, but only if rocket price is competitive on world market.

Eutelsat's de Rosen: We wont pay > our competitors for rockets, esp since in France we pay 3X tax rate of our 2 big Luxembourg competitors.

ESA launcher director Winters: ESA/CNES need to maintain strong launcher competence. W/o it, we'd be w/o teeth w/ respect to industry.

French Joint Space Command Chief Teste: We wont launch any of our military sats from anyplace but Europe's Guiana Space Center. Wont happen.

Also, auch wenn der Schlepper mehrmals mit seiner Masse (dem ganzen Manövertreibstoff) zwischen Parkorbit und Zielorbit pendelt, verbraucht er da vergleichsweise wenig ... und man spart dann bei der jeweils zu startenden Mission deutlich Masse. Bei so einem System könnte man dann auch das  Trägersystem an sich kleiner auslegen.

Zitat

Also, auch wenn der Schlepper mehrmals mit seiner Masse (dem ganzen Manövertreibstoff) zwischen Parkorbit und Zielorbit pendelt, verbraucht er da vergleichsweise wenig ... und man spart dann bei der jeweils zu startenden Mission deutlich Masse. Bei so einem System könnte man dann auch das  Trägersystem an sich kleiner auslegen.

oder man entwickelt gleich einen richtigen Space-Tug, hmm?

The design-to-cost approach for Ariane 6 is forcing Europe’s rocket industrial base to make deep cuts to its cost structure. Depending on how much business Ariane 6 can capture once it is operational, the new vehicle may force a sharp downsizing among the participating companies – a fact rarely voiced in France.

It was left to Hans Steininger, chief executive of MT Aerospace of Augsburg, Germany – a major Ariane component builder – to say so directly to the French lawmakers.

“Streamlining by companies like mine is being done now and will continue over the years,” Steininger said. “It will be a painful process. In the long term, we’re talking of a reduced work force.”

Israel and other European space industry officials in recent months have expressed frustration that, even as they revamp their industrial organization for Ariane 6, some European government officials are more interested in talking about SpaceX’s rocket-reuse effort and asking why Europe isn’t doing likewise.

Von der gesamten Masse, die da am Anfang im LEO ruht, werden ca. 30% verbraucht und um die 70% kommen im GTO an.

[...]

Damit wären wir aber wieder an dem Punkt das der Schlepper nur aus dem Treibwerk besteht und ein Koppeladapter wiegt ja auch noch etwas.

The switch to horizontal integration may add to the capital investment in the Ariane 6 launch installation but will result in substantial savings in Ariane 6 production and operating costs, Winters said.

That’s one reason why Airbus Safran Launchers, which will have to make a profit on Ariane 6 without the annual price supports that ESA provides for Ariane 5, was so much in favor of the switch to horizontal integration.