The new load carrier is scheduled to take off for the first time in 2023, but the launch has been delayed for years. Now it has to work – because of the war there are no more alternatives.
(Photo: dpa)
Dusseldorf The Galileo satellites keep the world running: Around two billion users depend on the European navigation system. However, modernization and expansion are faltering. Ten new Galileo satellites are currently lying around useless – you can’t get them into orbit. “There is a shortage of rockets,” complains Marco Fuchs, head of satellite manufacturer OHB in Bremen.
The Russian war of aggression in Ukraine is also paralyzing European space travel. The European space agency Esa and the Russian Roskosmos have stopped working together, so the Soyuz rocket, which is important for Europe, is missing. Rocket launches are in danger because the necessary engines are built in Ukraine.
Esa can still carry out five missions with the Ariane 5 rocket, a maximum of three with the small Italian launch vehicle Vega. It is uncertain whether the new Ariane 6 will be able to fly next year. Europe could run out of missiles as early as 2023.
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