[AR] Re: clustering big rockets
- From: "John Dom" <johndom@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <arocket@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 28 Dec 2015 09:25:03 +0100
Henry Spencer wrote on 281215:
-- for some years the US had been saying "no need to develop your own
launchers, we'll launch your satellites for you", but when the Franco-German
Symphonie project asked, the response was "um, er, we didn't mean
*commercial* satellites". The US State Dept. having veto power over French
space activities was intolerable, so France, er excuse us we meant Europe
:-), clearly needed its own independent launch capability ASAP. Hence
Ariane.
What did the Franco-French response AKA, ESA mean by non-"commercial"
satellite activities then which the State Dept. found unacceptable? To have
Vega or Ariane V launch spy sats? Spaceplanes (future IXV spinoffs)? Or?
jd
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