🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Feb5.224039.16747@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> jbh55289@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu writes:

>The increasing size of
>Geostationary comsats, and Arianspace's proven ability to launch multiple
>sattelites at once will make Ariane V a very usefull vehicle.  

The size of satcoms is _not_ increasing, though I've seen this myth often
repeated by the Ariane folks to justify Ariane 5.   The newest generation
Intelsat is slightly smaller, for example.  Ariane 5 had to expand to
keep pace with Hermes design overruns, so that it is now far too bloated
for satcoms.  Satcom companies will choose the appropriately sized, more
reliable, and less costly Delta 2 and Atlas 2 (and perhaps other similarly 
sized rockets).

Launch of multiple satcoms is already done by Ariane 4; Ariane 5 does not 
provide much more for that, especially with the odd size.  It is not clear 
that multiple launch itself provides much benefit with Ariane's reliability
(< 90%) combined with a new launcher designed with satellite launch as
a secondary consideration.

In case I am accused of Europe-bashing, remember I was Europe's biggest
fan when Ariane was beating the socks off the heavily subsidized Shuttle.
But now that Europe is repeating NASA's mistakes, I have lost my enthusiasm.

>[Ariane backlog of] something like 30 sattelites, 

These are all for Ariane 4.  There are no commercial orders for Ariane
5.

>What would you build that would be cheaper than Hermes?  A Gemini capsule?

Why build Hermes when Shuttle and Soyuz alraady exist?  So that Europe
can be just like its neighbors?  How silly.   Europe won when it
went against the grain, building a satellite launcher when NASA
was cancelling satellite launchers in favor of a Shuttle monopoly.
Europe as mimic is a loser.


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