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>as the organization did not believe it was a good direction. Kinda infuriating -- almost arrogant -- we're behind the US in space technology yet the ESA is in

by s_dev 2y ago

>as the organization did not believe it was a good direction. Kinda infuriating -- almost arrogant -- we're behind the US in space technology yet the ESA is insisting it knows the right way forward when a very promising path was actively being set and yet they outright dismissed it.

Beretta_Vexee 2y ago
Ariane Espace isn't the ESA. The ESA put money into the Ariane program, it's not the same. Ariane Espace is a French commercial company with many links to ESA, but its primary mission is to ensure France's civil and military access to space. This has been extended to other European countries, but France holds more than 60% of the shares, the launch site, the transport and assembly infrastructure, and is responsible for the defence of the site, etc. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arianespace https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arianespace The French government wanted a reliable way of sending heavy observation satellites into geostationary orbit. This explains many of Ariane's design choices. Civil and commercial activity are just extra or bonus way of cutting costs. For example, one of Ariane lesser-known activities is to produce ballistic missiles for the French strike force. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M51_(missile) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M51_(missile)
- bdauvergne 2y ago
  Good answer, the european space program is just a spinoff of the french ICBM program nothing else; it also explains the reluctance of other countries to finance it, like anything approaching the french military industry, because you know french are imperialistic, I known, I'm french \s.
  - Beretta_Vexee 2y ago
    Imperialism, I call that General de Gaulle's France! Anyone who says otherwise is a traitor to the homeland, American or Russian bootlickers! \s More seriously, France often has a non-aligned or sovereign vision of its programmes, which makes many European countries uncomfortable, as they don't really want to assert any form of independence from the USA.

by s_dev 2y ago

Beretta_Vexee 2y ago

Ariane Espace isn't the ESA. The ESA put money into the Ariane program, it's not the same. Ariane Espace is a French commercial company with many links to ESA, but its primary mission is to ensure France's civil and military access to space. This has been extended to other European countries, but France holds more than 60% of the shares, the launch site, the transport and assembly infrastructure, and is responsible for the defence of the site, etc. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arianespace https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arianespace The French government wanted a reliable way of sending heavy observation satellites into geostationary orbit. This explains many of Ariane's design choices. Civil and commercial activity are just extra or bonus way of cutting costs. For example, one of Ariane lesser-known activities is to produce ballistic missiles for the French strike force. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M51_(missile) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M51_(missile)

bdauvergne 2y ago
Good answer, the european space program is just a spinoff of the french ICBM program nothing else; it also explains the reluctance of other countries to finance it, like anything approaching the french military industry, because you know french are imperialistic, I known, I'm french \s.
- Beretta_Vexee 2y ago
  Imperialism, I call that General de Gaulle's France! Anyone who says otherwise is a traitor to the homeland, American or Russian bootlickers! \s More seriously, France often has a non-aligned or sovereign vision of its programmes, which makes many European countries uncomfortable, as they don't really want to assert any form of independence from the USA.