> SpaceX' having its captive client (Starlink) isn't some external factor that favored them No, but it's an additional information they had to make their decis

> SpaceX' having its captive client (Starlink) isn't some external factor that favored them No, but it's an additional information they had to make their decision. > Arianespace took no risks, tried nothing, achieved nothing. If you replace Arianespace by Airbus, your point has merit. Airbus, as a publicly traded company, of which 25% is owned by nation-states, has a different risk appetite compared to a privately-owned company funded by someone with deep pockets.