Arianespace Focuses on Faster Horses

Peter B. de Selding, for SpaceNews:

Arianespace does not want a reusable rocket for the moment, he said, because it’s not certain that reusability can reduce costs and maintain reliability. The Ariane 6 rocket, to operate starting in 2020, will not be reusable. The company also is wary of the Silicon Valley ethos that champions constant iteration, which he said has been a feature of Hawthorne, California-based SpaceX as well.

“We think that the more a launch resembles the preceding launch, the better we are for our customers because we remain in the ‘explored domain’ where everything is understood,” Israel said.

In the early 1900s, we understood horses so well. Those newfangled automobiles? Unreliable and too expensive. Explored domain becomes old-fashioned quicker and quicker these days.

That’s a fine strategy for the here and now, but it isn’t a viable long-term strategy by any means. SpaceX isn’t the only one coming for Arianespace’s market share by way of reusability. Blue Origin will have an orbital vehicle in just a few years, and even ULA—who will probably start flying true commercial flights when they have a lower-cost vehicle—is thinking about reusability with Vulcan.

PS: I told you Arianespace would have some snark for SpaceX.