• A launcher for "beyond 2030".
• At the moment a team of 15 is working on the concept.
• Further cost reduction by a factor of 2, compared to Ariane 6.
• Tailored to both Commercial and State customers.
• Development time reduced from 10 to 5 years.
• Adaptable industrial base:
o Ability to increase production if demand requires it...
o But able to scale down and stay profitable if the commercial market shrinks.
• The designated engine is Prométhéus
o 10x cheaper to manufacture (compared to Vulcan 2)
o 50% production time
o Extensive use of additive manfivuating aka 3D-printing
o Methane instead of LH2 propellant, easier to handle, yet similarities should speed up development.
o One possible scenario is to use Prométhéus for both 1st and 2nd stage.
• Callisto will be the prototype for reusability
o Re-ignition at high altitude studied by Onera
• Possibility of 2nd stage reuse is being considered.
• Upper Stage could remain in orbit and conduct several GTO missions
Jean-Marc Astorg, director of launchers at the French space agency, CNES, said during the Mandon briefing that 5-7 Prometheus engines could power the first stage of a future Ariane rocket, each costing 1 million euros ($1.13 million) apiece, compared to the 10-million-euro cost of the single Vulcain cryogenic engine that now powers the Ariane 5 first stage along with two solid-fueled strap-on boosters.