Re:Why Tesla is having a harder time than SpaceX
by kuschku on Saturday April 14, 2018 @09:06AM
(#16837153)
Remember that they've spent years already on Prometheus — Arianespace moves slow, but they constantly move forward.
Re:Why Tesla is having a harder time than SpaceX
by twtw on Saturday April 14, 2018 @09:15AM
(#16837196)
I understand that, but a reusable engine is not the same as a reusable rocket. If we are going to discuss engines, it seems that the appropriate comparison is the development of the Merlin-series engines, which started around 2004.
Re:Why Tesla is having a harder time than SpaceX
by solarkraft on Saturday April 14, 2018 @12:15PM
(#16837953)
> Arianespace moves slow, but they constantly move forward.
... way more slowly than SpaceX. That's not how a company could survive in the free market.
Re:Why Tesla is having a harder time than SpaceX
by nickik on Saturday April 14, 2018 @11:40AM
(#16837769)
Wikipedia:
> The European Space Agency began funding the Prometheus development in June 2017 with €85 million provided through an ESA capital mechanism called the Future Launchers Preparatory Program.[1]
Based on what information have they been spending 'years' on that engine?
Everything I've read about Arianespace's plans indicate that they aren't terribly interested in reusability. Ariane 6, which is slated for first launch until at least 2020, will be initially expendable. The mentions of Adeline or using Promotheus on Ariane6 seem to be only speculative at this point. Given that they will only maybe start working on reuse after the expendable Ariane6 is launching, they seem to be more than a few years behind. More like a decade.