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
|
|
Senate committee advances Isaacman nomination to lead NASA
Posted: Sun, May 4 10:23 AM ET (1423 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Thursday, May 8
Industry Leader and Longtime Hughes CEO Pradman Kaul Dies
ViaSatellite — 6:50 am ET (1050 GMT) Elon Musk's Starlink gets govt nod in India for satcom service: What it means for users, pricing and more
Business Today — 6:48 am ET (1048 GMT) Elon Musk's internet company Starlink gets India approval: What does this mean? What services will you get? Explained
livemint — 6:48 am ET (1048 GMT) Elon Musk’s Starlink gets Indian regulatory go-ahead for satcom services
The Economic Times (India) — 6:45 am ET (1045 GMT) These students built a rocket, a satellite — and a national reputation
CSU Long Beach — 6:43 am ET (1043 GMT) |
