European manufacturer EADS Astrium has announced an agreement to market SpaceX’s Falcon 1e rockets in Europe, supporting customers with very small payloads to launch into low-Earth orbit.
The deal covers launches up until 2015, and promises space…
European manufacturer EADS Astrium has announced an agreement to market SpaceX’s Falcon 1e rockets in Europe, supporting customers with very small payloads to launch into low-Earth orbit.
The deal covers launches up until 2015, and promises space agencies, and other institutional European customers with small payloads, the world’s lowest cost per dedicated flight.
Elon Musk, CEO and CTO of SpaceX, said: “Our agreement with Astrium opens exciting new doors for SpaceX. Together we will meet the growing demand for reliable, low-cost and dedicated launch services for very small Earth observation and scientific payloads for European institutional customers.”
Silvio Sandrone, vice president for launches at Astrium Space Transportation, told SatelliteFinance that he sees the European institutional very small satellite market as an expanding sector. Sandrone was unable to comment on future deals in this area, but said the company feels now is the time to push into this market because the miniaturisation of technology has finally made it feasible.
The Falcon 1e agreement follows SpaceX’s announcement in July of a US$492m launch contract with MSS operator Iridium Communications for its 72 satellite second-generation constellation NEXT. That deal, which will use the heavy lift Falcon 9 rocket, represents the largest single commercial launch deal ever signed but equates to a cost of approximately US$6.83m per satellite. As with the Astrium deal, SpaceX is seemingly seeking to gain market share and operational heritage through competitive pricing.
Sandrone insisted the deal with SpaceX was not a snub to Arianespace, which Astrium builds larger rockets for and which is also developing its own light-lift launcher called Vega. He said there was never any competition with the group because, although small, Vega is still too big for its requirements.
On September 8, Arianespace announced that it had agreed a production contract with ESA for the first Vega launcher, due to begin operations in 2011.
On the same day, ELV, Vega’s prime contractor, signed a frame contract for five Vega launch vehicles, which will be delivered after the qualification flight.
