Large Medium Small |
PARIS - French Space Agency (CNES) and engine maker Snecma signed a contract worth 7.6 million euros ($10.9 million) for work on Europe's next generation rocket-launcher, Ariane 6, at the Paris Air Show Wednesday.
The European Space Agency (ESA) started developing the successor to its flagship launcher Ariane 5 in 2010 with a scheduled completion date of 2025. Total cost of the program is estimated at between 3.5 billion and 8 billion euros ($5-11.5 billion).
France has an active role in the European aerospace industry. CNES is the contracting authority for the Ariane 6 development and Snecma is a subsidiary of leading French engine maker Safran.
During a visit to the French space industry at the end of 2010, French President Nicolas Sarkozy endorsed a Memorandum of Understanding allocating 82.5 million euros ($118.7 million) to carry out preparatory work for Ariane 6.
"Contracts to prepare technologies linking Ariane 6 in the fields of solid propulsion and avionics will be signed soon," the CNES statement said.
分享按钮 |