On 12 August ESA signed contracts for the development of the Ariane 6 new-generation launcher, its launch base and the Vega C evolution of the current ESA small launcher.

The contracts, signed at ESA’s Paris Head Office with Airbus Safran Launchers (ASL), France’s CNES space agency and ELV, respectively, cover all development work on Ariane 6 and its launch base for a maiden flight in 2020, and on Vega C for its 2018 debut.
Said Jan Woerner, Director General of ESA: ‘These contracts will allow the development of a family of European launchers, highly competitive in the world market and ensuring autonomous access to space at fully competitive prices for ESA’s Member States.