CNES
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.
French Guiana accord sets stage for Arianespace to resume launches
An agreement between France and its restive South American territory French Guiana, home to Europe’s spaceport, has resolved a month-long dispute that had prevented any launch activity since mid-March.
Le Gall confident French Guiana launches will resume “in the coming days”
The head of the French space agency expects launch activity will resume soon at the European spaceport in French Guiana, where political protests have grounded Arianespace launches for the past two weeks.
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.
CNES supplying cameras to Indian X Prize team, talks reusability with ISRO
The French space agency, CNES, will supply two spacecraft cameras to a team from India competing for the Google Lunar X Prize, and has tightened its partnership with India to study reusable launch technology.
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.
France’s CNES backs space station, hedges bets on reusable rockets
The French space agency, CNES, on July 8 updated its policy direction including investment in a U.S.-led environment-monitoring satellite, a recommitment to the International Space Station and a nuanced view of whether reusable rockets would take the commercial market by storm and make the future Ariane 6 rocket obsolete.
French space minister calls for European rocket R&D effort, says SpaceX victory still TBD
France’s space minister on June 1 urged a redoubled European effort in space research, and specifically in next-generation rockets, in the face of what he said were increased investments by the United States and other major space powers.
CNES Vows To Get to the Bottom of Leaks that Forced Mars InSight Delay
The French space agency created an outside board of inquiry to examine the circumstances surrounding the discovery of multiple leaks in the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure instrument.
Mars InSight Lander Won’t Launch until 2018 — If it Launches at All
If it isn’t canceled altogether, NASA’s Mars InSight lander will now launch more than two years later than planned, thanks to a balky seismometer, the agency’s top science official told reporters Dec. 22.
French Sensor for NASA Mars Lander Should be Fixed in Time for Launch
The Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) instrument, which developed a leak in its vacuum container, is expected to be ready for shipment to the United States in early January.
Controversy Surrounds Le Gall’s Unopposed Election to IAF Post
The International Astronautical Federation (IAF) on Oct. 16 elected Jean-Yves Le Gall, president of the French space agency, CNES, as IAF president starting in late 2016 in a procedure that generated substantial controversy despite the fact that Le Gall ran unopposed.
Thales Alenia Space Awarded CNES Contract for Ocean Altimetry Instrument
The company will build the next-generation radar altimeter for the billion-dollar U.S.-French Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission to launch in 2020.
Philae Comet Lander Reawakens, Phones Home
Europe’s Philae comet lander, which for unexplained reasons had been silent since June 24, reawakened July 9 for a nearly uninterrupted period of about 20 minutes, sending signals through the Rosetta orbiter, the French and German space agencies said July 10.
