Is the first European on the Moon in ESA's astronaut corps?
Director General on being a good partner and developing rockets
Interview The European Space Agency (ESA) had to use a SpaceX rocket to send its Hera spacecraft to Dimorphos. After the delays of the Ariane 6, what will the Ariane 7 look like? And is the first European on the Moon already in ESA's astronaut corps?
ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher touched on these topics and more during the space agency's recent open house at ESTEC.
"Ariane 7 will not be an Ariane 6, developed by ESA, as we have done in the past," he said. "Ariane 7 will be – if it is called Ariane 7, we will probably call it differently – a new rocket developed by industry where we, as ESA, want to stimulate these companies as an anchor customer. We buy blocks of launch capacity, but also help them, if needed, to develop technology along the way."
Ariane 6 is a classic example of a rocket designed by committee to meet the needs of member states but did not always meet the needs of getting spacecraft into space. One ESA source grumbled to The Register that there was a feeling that innovation had been left at the door in favor of political needs.
Would ESA ever develop something like the Ariane 6 again? Particularly considering how companies such as SpaceX have demonstrated that reusability is more than feasible.
"It's a complex one," said Aschbacher. "Ariane 6 was defined in 2014 ... and in 2014, the market was assessed of how many launches Europe needs per year of this class of heavy launcher. The launch rate we have today in Europe is somewhere between seven and ten launches per year of a heavy launcher class. And for that purpose it's a good launcher because it serves exactly this cadence."
It is, however, no Falcon 9. Aschbacher does not see this as an apples-to-apples comparison as the two rockets have very different requirements. "You cannot really compare the requirements of Europe with those in the United States," said Aschbacher. "The demand is much higher, and therefore, of course, the reusability is a must. Otherwise, you cannot cope with the many launches that are required."
The Ariane 6 delays also meant that ESA had to turn to other launch providers for its missions. The gap between the final launch of the Ariane 5 and the wait until Ariane 6 became operational resulted in a stark choice – look elsewhere for a ride to space or have spacecraft sitting in storage.
Aschbacher is clear: "The SpaceX launches are temporary, so now Ariane 6 will pick up launches." A launch gap needed to be filled, and Musk's rocketeers filled it.
It isn't just the Ariane 6 causing headaches. ESA's flagship Copernicus Earth monitoring program has also suffered due to a lack of rockets. Sentinel-1C, for example, is due to launch on the Vega-C, which was grounded after a failure on its second launch in 2022. Sentinel-1B suffered a failure in 2021 and ESA declared it a loss in 2022, leaving only an aging Sentinel-1A in orbit, which, after ten years in space, is coming to the end of its lifetime.
So, no pressure then.
As well as heavy launchers, there is also the European Launcher Challenge, announced in November 2023. And European companies are seeking to get their rockets off the pad with mini or micro payloads in 2025. While ESA does not direct the design of the launchers, Aschbacher is keen to buy services from these companies. "This is something that I would like to foster, to encourage them to get to the launch pad quickly with innovative technology and good value for money."
Alan Thompson, Skyrora's Head of Government Affairs, highlighted several challenges facing rocket companies seeking to start operations in Europe. One of which was regulation. His message to regulators during a discussion with The Register was "engage." While ESA has no regulatory power, Aschbacher offered advice: "We have a legal department, which is very strong in space law and regulatory aspects."
While actual regulation is in the hands of governments, Aschbacher sees the role of ESA as advisory. "We have the knowledge, and we know what the implications are."
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So, a 2025 launch? Aschbacher reckons two or three companies might manage a first launch from Europe (including the UK) next year.
The space station in the room
It is difficult to avoid the International Space Station-shaped elephant in the room. While a technological tour de force, the ISS is aging. Some segments leak air while the ISS itself continues to burn through cash, slowing efforts by agencies to send crews out of Low Earth Orbit.
In light of the continuing problems with Boeing's Starliner, are there regrets about the end of the ESA Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) in favor of the European Service Module (ESM) for the Artemis program?
Aschbacher dodged the question, saying instead that delivering the ESM – a critical part of the Artemis program developed using technology from the ATV – was proof that ESA was a trustworthy partner. However, Aschbacher is also pragmatic and recently began a program to get cargo delivered to the ISS and returned to Earth.
"This capability we do not have today, and that's something I would like to have developed by industry."
Aschbacher regards the concept as similar to NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, which gave rise to SpaceX's Dragon and expects delivery by 2028.
Two years before the ISS is due to retire? "It will be used in the future for commercial space," said Aschbacher.
As for the ISS itself, Aschbacher is sticking to 2030 as the year it will need to be de-orbited "because it is aging and we develop a new commercial sector and commercial stations."
However, not all the partners in the program have agreed on 2030. While at least one of ESA's astronauts thinks it could linger on a little longer, Russia has only committed to 2028.
"We have to see how the period 2029 to 2030 is managed because we do need Russia onboard; the Space Station cannot be operated without Russia."
In terms of human spaceflight, ESA is focused on the Moon. As it did when sending crews to the ISS, the agency has secured three slots on lunar missions in return for European technology used in the Artemis program. Aschbacher told us: "Two are going to the gateway [a space station planned for lunar missions] and a third one, which is not yet allocated."
So, is the first European astronaut to walk on the Moon already in ESA's astronaut corps? Aschbacher reckons it's too early to say, but negotiations are ongoing. ®