• luk3th3dud3@feddit.de
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    1 year ago

    I am a proud European, but do not kid yourself. The United States are light years ahead in space technology. The Ariane program is a complete clusterfuck as of now.

    • crispy_kilt@feddit.de
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      Is US rocket supremacy why Союз rockets were bringing most of the US stuff into LEO the last 20 years or so?

      • luk3th3dud3@feddit.de
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        1 year ago

        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.

          • luk3th3dud3@feddit.de
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            3
            ·
            1 year ago

            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 and at the same time the Ariane 6 is already outdated before it is ever launched.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.

            • crispy_kilt@feddit.de
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              1 year ago

              Honestly, I’m totally fine with whoever launching our stuff, because what I actually care about is the science and exploration part, not the rocket itself