Germany invests in development of French Ariane 7 rocket to compete with SpaceX

Germany and France intend to impose competition to the U.S. company SpaceX in the field of launch vehicles.

Here's What We Know

The French ArianeGroup, a joint venture between Safran SA and Airbus SE, may receive funding from Germany. Berlin has carved out an intention to invest in the development of the Ariane 7 launch vehicle. This is reported by Bloomberg, citing anonymous sources. German and French authorities declined to comment.

ArianeGroup is an important project for the European Union, despite the fact that the French company's rockets are inferior to SpaceX's solutions in terms of economic efficiency, since they are disposable. The EU is trying to ensure the sovereignty of the space industry and wants to carry out space missions independently.

Cooperation between France and Germany could play into the hands of both countries' industries, as they have recently clashed in the defense sector. In particular, France favors the idea of a common European program, while Germany wants to bring more private companies into the field in order to increase competition.

As for ArianeGroup, it now has the Ariane 5 rocket in its portfolio, which it calls the most reliable commercial launcher on the market. The company is also working on Ariane 6, but for various reasons its launch has been repeatedly postponed. At the moment the launch is scheduled for the end of next year.

Source: Bloomberg