Airbus Safran
Ariane 6 could use reusable Prometheus engine, designer says
Europe’s upcoming Ariane 6 rocket, though designed to be expendable, could one day sport a reusable engine, according to Patrick Bonguet, head of the Ariane 6 program at ArianeGroup.
ESA kickstarts Prometheus reusable engine with first funding tranche
The European Space Agency began funding a reusable rocket engine anticipated to be ready for a test-fire demonstration in 2020, the same year as the first launch of the future Ariane 6 rocket.
Airbus Safran Launchers renaming itself ‘ArianeGroup’
The joint venture of Airbus and Safran was created in 2015 as part of a reorganization of the European launch vehicle industry.
European Commission commits to annual minimums for Ariane 6, Vega C
The European Commission will commit to buying at least five Ariane 6 and two Vega C launches per year when both rockets are in operation, Elzbieta Bienkowska, the European Commission’s lead space commissioner, said Wednesday.
Airbus Defence and Space posts lower 2016 revenues, higher order intake
Airbus Defence and Space saw its revenue decline in 2016 thanks in part to a 2.21 billion euros ($2.32 billion) charge on Europe’s troublesome A400M military transport aircraft program, but the division’s order intake was up over the prior year.
France’s Prometheus reusable engine becomes ESA project, gets funding boost
A French reusable rocket engine program is getting a boost from the European Space Agency, which is ready to sign a contract with Airbus Safran Launchers that would lead to an engine test three years from now.
Q&A | Avio CEO Ranzo on sharing the pie with Germany, and keeping SpaceX from an Italian contract
The recent German-Italian agreement to divide production of casings for the future Ariane 6 rocket’s strap-on boosters, which also serve as the first stage of the Italian-led Vega-C small-satellite launcher, was a victory for political harmony in Europe.
ESA gives final approval for Ariane 6; Airbus Safran Launchers now in control
The European Space Agency (ESA) on Sept. 13 gave final go-ahead for development of the next-generation Ariane 6 heavy-lift launch vehicle, confirming a rendezvous that many thought impossible when it was set in December 2014.
European Commission OK’s Airbus Safran Launchers takeover of Arianespace
The European Commission on July 20 approved the Airbus Safran Launchers (ASL) takeover of launch-services provider Arianespace, saying companies had accepted conditions the commission imposed to minimize the chance of anti-competitive behavior.
Airbus Safran Launchers awaits August European Commission competition ruling
The July 30 consolidation of Airbus Safran Launchers allows the transition of 7,500 employees to the new entity from the two parent companies following resolution of a tax issue but has no bearing on the investigation of ASL by European Commission authorities.
Airbus, Safran finalize Ariane joint venture
Thursday's briefing begins with Airbus and Safran finalizing the creation of a joint venture to produce Europe's Ariane 5 and Ariane 6 rockets.
Safran says Airbus Safran Launchers joint venture to be fully operational by July
Rocket engine builder Safran on April 26 said its Airbus Safran Launchers (ASL) joint venture to be “fully operational on the 1st of July” following a resolution of “technical and administrative formalities.”
Airbus Safran Launchers aims for ‘the discipline of the flow’ in Ariane 6 integration
Europe’s rocket industry has gone 40 years by integrating its Ariane rockets vertically and then rolling them out by rail, upright, to the launch pad. That is about to end.
Ariane 6 designers say they’ll beat SpaceX prices on per-kilogram basis
Europe’s next-generation Ariane 6 rocket remains on track for a 2020 first launch with a cost structure allowing the heavier Ariane 64 version to advertise per-kilogram prices below today’s Space X Falcon 9, European government and industry officials said April 6.
Italian Space Agency to Airbus Safran: Hands off Vega
The president of the Italian Space Agency on March 17 voiced strong opposition to a French industrial takeover of Italy’s Avio, which is prime contractor for the Italian-led Vega small-satellite launcher, in the latest indication of the challenges facing European launch-sector reorganization.
EU taking closer antitrust look at Airbus Safran Launchers’ Arianespace purchase
European antitrust authorities appear poised to withhold immediate approval of the purchase by Airbus Safran Launchers of the French government’s stake in launch-service provider Arianespace pending an investigation that could last for several months, European industry officials said.
Airbus Safran Launchers: 1st Ariane 6 batch contract bid by end-year
The company designing Europe’s next-generation Ariane 6 rocket – to be integrated horizontally, not vertically as previous Ariane vehicles — expects to submit a firm, fixed-price bid for a first batch of rockets by the end of this year, the company’s chief executive said Jan. 28.
Airbus: Rocket joint venture with Safran awaits French tax ruling
Europe’s Airbus Safran Launchers joint venture company, which is leading development of the Ariane 6 rocket, has fallen behind schedule as it awaits a ruling by French tax officials on an expected cash payment from Safran to Airbus.
France Giving up Arianespace Ownership, but not Oversight
The French government will be able to maintain a firm oversight role over the Arianespace launch consortium despite the government’s agreement to sell its 35-percent stake in the company to Airbus Safran Launchers, the president of the French space agency, CNES, said.
French Divestment Will Put Arianespace in Airbus Safran’s Hands
The French government on June 10 confirmed that the Arianespace launch-service consortium ultimately would be controlled by Airbus Safran Launchers following the sale of the French government’s share in Arianespace.
