The Soyuz is not a bad rocket, neither is the Ariane. It is just that technology has advanced quite significantly in the last few years.
And rockets are just a (very visible) part of space technology.
Okay lets see. What I meant is: at its time, the Ariane 5 was a great program.
Now is a different time. Now we have got SpaceX (and RocketLab etc.) and at the same time the Ariane 6 is already outdated before it is ever launched. At the same time, the Ariane 6 program has run into major delays, so it is not even clear when the first launch will be – probably 2024.
Reusable rocket technology is where it’s at if we as Europeans want to stay relevant in the commercial launch sector.
The Soyuz is not a bad rocket, neither is the Ariane. It is just that technology has advanced quite significantly in the last few years. And rockets are just a (very visible) part of space technology.
Quite a turnaround you made here. From clusterfuck to not bad in 1 comment
Okay lets see. What I meant is: at its time, the Ariane 5 was a great program. Now is a different time. Now we have got SpaceX (and RocketLab etc.) and at the same time the Ariane 6 is already outdated before it is ever launched. At the same time, the Ariane 6 program has run into major delays, so it is not even clear when the first launch will be – probably 2024.
Reusable rocket technology is where it’s at if we as Europeans want to stay relevant in the commercial launch sector.