CNES Chief Responds Harshly to Eumetsat's Decision to Ditch Ariane 6
Philippe Baptiste criticized Eumetsat's switch from Ariane 6 to Falcon 9 for launching Meteosat MTG-S1, calling it a setback for European space efforts. Concerns arise over Ariane 6's reliability and European launcher preference.
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The CNES chief, Philippe Baptiste, strongly criticized Eumetsat's decision to switch from Ariane 6 to Falcon 9 for launching the Meteosat MTG-S1 satellite, calling it a "brutal change" and a setback for European space efforts. Baptiste expressed disappointment and urged for European institutional missions to be launched on European rockets. This move by Eumetsat has raised concerns about the reliability of Ariane 6 and puts pressure on other European institutions to find alternative launch options. Arianespace, the operator of Ariane 6, had a significant backlog of flights, including missions for Amazon's Project Kuiper and ESA's Galileo satellites. The European Commission's commitment to five Ariane 6 flights annually for economic viability is now in question. Baptiste and Arianespace have called for legislation enforcing European launcher preference to support the European space industry. The decision by Eumetsat is seen as a vote of no confidence in Ariane 6's future reliability, impacting the rocket's commercial viability and European space ambitions.
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