Posted: Tue, Dec 23, 2003, 11:04 AM ET (1604 GMT)
A European plan to pay some of the operational costs of the Ariane 5 and build a launch pad at Kourou for the Soyuz launch vehicle was not approved by European governments during a two-day meeting last week. Space News reported that the governments failed to agree on how the projects would be funded because of "a problem related to industrial grouping in Europe," according to ESA Director-General Jean-Jacques Dordain. In May ESA approved a plan to spend €960 million (US$1.2 billion) over a five-year period starting in 2005 to support Arianespace by taking over some operating costs currently paid by private industry. ESA also approved a €314-million (US$390 million) plan to build a Soyuz launch pad at Kourou, as well as €24 million (US$30 million) on next-generation launch vehicle technology development. Dordain said ESA will try again in early February to pin down approval from its member governments for the funding for all three programs.

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