Europe Spaceworthy Again

Soft writes "After last february's retirement of the Ariane 4 and last year's failure of the uprated Ariane 5 EC-A, an Ariane 5G ("generic") successfully launched two communications satellites tonight. Stories at SpaceflightNow and the BBC. Atlas, Delta, watch out, we're still game!"

That's fine

[kriston]

You need not worry about too much competition from the Titan program unless you have heavy-launch capability. The US doesn't even have enough Titans to launch the next-generation spy satellites even if they were finished in time to replace the existing spy satellites. There is a good piece on this in a recent issue of "The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists" (http://www.bulletin.org/).

Kris

Re:That's fine

[kriston]

Naturally it's actually http://www.thebulletin.org/ [thebulletin.org].

Kris

More significantly ...

[Anonymous Coward]

India has decided to stick with Ariane for it's next two satellite launches.

I've been waiting to launch Europe into space

[Rares Marian]

Reasons:

1. Bunch of ingrates
2. Tony Blair; there's only room for one GWB in this world
3. Trendy electronic music, wait is Aphex Twin from Europe? Damn!

Re:I've been waiting to launch Europe into space

[Golthar]

Explain to me why you think we are ungrateful.

Is it because we have a different opinion?
(BTW, im from the Netherlands that offered full political support to the US, unlike others)

Re:I've been waiting to launch Europe into space

[Rares Marian]

It's not the difference of opinion, it's the mix of arrogance and spinelessness of certain individuals (having lived in the US most of my life, I know what arrogance is when I see it).

I made a cheap shot because I saw the opportunity for a joke and to blow off some steam.

France has been rather ungrateful in various remarks and attitudes considering events that happened half a century ago.

If the story had been France is spaceworthy again, I probably would have stuck to that.

I also have some bones to pick

jeepers

[BortQ]

Can you imagine how nervous everyone was during this launch?

It's a scary thought.

not the same engine that blew up

[rsdavis9]

I read somewhere that this used an older first stage engine that had successfully flown before. The malfunction of the previous flight was with a new advanced first stage and it had to be destroyed when it went off course. So they havent even flown the problematic engine yet. So I guess this flight proves nothing as to whether ariane is space worthy again.

bob