Europe’s sanctions on Russia for the ukrainian war led the Russian space agency, Roscosmos, to withdraw its Soyuz rockets from the European space race. This, coupled with the withdrawal of its personnel from the Kourou spaceport and the selective opening of its own spaceport, Baikonur, frustrated the launch of several missions of the European Space Agency (ESA). Since then, the agency has been looking for launch alternatives and seems to have finally found them in the SpaceX Falcon 9.
At the time, Elon Musk offered all possible help, both for NASA and for the rest of the space agencies that were affected by the departure from Russia. However, ESA has also been looking for ways to be independent. Not only from Roscosmos, but also from SpaceX.
Therefore, in addition to announcing the use of Falcon 9 rockets to launch two missions, in 2023 and 2024has announced a third one that will travel to space with an Italian Vega C and, finally, the start-up of its own large shuttle: Ariane 6.
SpaceX to fill the gaps left by Russia
One of the great disappointments of the ESA after the withdrawal of Russia was the impossibility of launching ExoMars when it was planned. Therefore, waiting for a new launch window and a rocket that does it justice, they have been busy looking for new launchers for their next missions. And they already have them.
For now, we know that the euclid space telescopewhose mission will be to study dark matter, will launch aboard a Falcon 9 in 2023. The following year, another of SpaceX’s rockets will power Hera. This is a follow-up mission to DART, the mission that has recently successfully altered the trajectory of an asteroid.
Secondly, as announced from Reutersin 2024 it will also be launched EarthCARE. This is a satellite fruit of a collaboration between Europe and Japan to study climate change from space. This time a Falcon 9 will not be used, but a Vega C.
And the highlight will come at the end of 2023, when the first launch of Ariane 6. Until now, ESA only had Ariane 5, of which there are still three units that will be launched in the first half of 2023. Its improved version, Ariane 6, will be one more tool to avoid depending on Russia, but not on SpaceX either. After all, one of Europe’s great goals is to have much more launch freedom, without having to depend on other agencies, public or private, to put their ships into space. They are on the way. However, until that happens, they have no choice but to trust SpaceX.