After the sting of Ariane 6, Europe finally embraces commercial rockets

Enlarge / A view looking down on a test model of Europe's Ariane 6 rocket on its launch pad in French Guiana. (credit: ESA/CNES/Arianespace/ArianeGroup/Optique video du CSG-S. Martin)

Representatives from 22 European countries reached an agreement Monday to change the way the continent's rockets are developed, moving from a government-driven approach to a commercial paradigm that appears to be modeled after how NASA and the US military do business.

This is a big moment for the European Space Agency and its member states, which have traditionally funded the lion's share of rocket development costs since the start of Europe's launcher programs more than half a century ago. Josef Aschbacher, a scientist who took over as director general of ESA in 2021, has argued that Europe is in an "acute launcher crisis" now that the continent lacks independent launch capability for most of its space missions.

Officials from ESA's 22 member states met Monday for a Space Summit in Seville, Spain, to decide on several priorities for the space agency. The rocket question was perhaps the most pressing among the topics up for discussion.