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The main argument for Falcon Heavy over Ariane 5 is cost, not reliability. Ariane 5 remains the most reliable heavy launcher, so that's the launcher you want f
by grondilu 9y ago
The main argument for Falcon Heavy over Ariane 5 is cost, not reliability. Ariane 5 remains the most reliable heavy launcher, so that's the launcher you want for JWST.
- dylan604 9y agoOn average, that's true. however, the most recent Ariane 5 launch did not go as expected. I can only imagine all of the people involved with JWST just got a little more anxious than they wanted to be this close to launch.
- gameswithgo 9y agoif it isn't too expensive to build 3 of your payload, falcon heavy could blow up twice and still be cheaper! Obviously JWST does not fall into that category. I imagine if it blows up, it is just done forever?
- welterde 9y agoDepends on how much a Falcon Heavy launch will really cost at the end, but right now the nominal fee seems to be around 70M€ for Falcon Heavy and around 150M€ for Ariane 5.