this post was submitted on 28 Oct 2023
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In 20 years, the EU have spent 10 billion in taxpayer money to send only 26 satellites to orbit (almost 400 million each). A SpaceX Falcon 9 can send almost 10 Galileo satellites to MEO at once for 62 million. So the question is not why they are hiring SpaceX now but why haven't they used SpaceX before?
(Falcon 9's capacity to MEO is 8,000 kg, and the typical Galileo satellite weighs 738 kg).
Because it's controlled by a lunatic
ESA has its own launch capability x and is choosing SpaceX anyway. The lunatic thing must not be a big deal.
Ariane 5 is retired. Ariane 6 isn't ready yet. Vega is small. What medium-lift launch capacity do they have?
Ariane 6 is already obsolete.