12 years after making fun of Spacex and his idea of ​​landing rockets, Arianegroup is creating a European mini-falcon 9

Year 2013. An Arianespace manager gives his opinion on Spacex in a symposium in Singapore. His statements still resonate in the European space industry as a summary of the 10 or 20 years lost that now, Arianegroup and the European New Space They are trying recover.

“They will wake up.” The question was: how Arianespace will compete, the French company that has been launching all the rockets of Europe for 40 years, with the launch of 15 million dollars that Spacex promises. This was what Richard Bowles repliedDirector of Arianespace in Southeast Asia:

“They are progressing incredibly well, but what I see in the market is that Spacex seems to be selling mainly a dream. We should all dream, but the releases of 5 million or 15 million dollars are a dream. And personally I think that reuse is a dream.”

“I feel that the question is how I am going to answer a dream. And my answer to answer a dream is’ do not wake up people, they have to wake up on their own.” “They are not superhombres, whatever they can do, we can do it too.”

The awakening. Breaking a spear in favor of Bowles, very few would have opted for Spacex in 2013, much less a corporation with the European launch monopoly. By nature, large companies have risk aversion and cannot maneuver with the agility of a startup.

However, time gave Elon Musk reason. In 2024, Arianespace launched three rockets: A Ariane 6, A Vega and a Vega-C. Spacex, meanwhile, launched 132 Falcon 9 and two Falcon Heavy. He also beat the reuse record with 26 launches and landings for the first stage of a Falcon 9.

Themis project. Arianegroup began to maneuver in 2019 at the request of the French space agency CNES. ARIANEWORKSa collaboration between the two entities, announced the development of a multipurpose rocket of low cost and reusable, known as theomis project. The project received 33 million euros of initial financing.

Although the first jump test (a vertical flight of low altitude) was scheduled for 2023, It has been delaying. Themis will merge with another rocket that has ended up being more promising.

A rocket called Maia. In 2022, Arianegroup founded Maiaspace, a subsidiary that, this time, would work as a startup. His Maia rocket, competition of Miura 5 of Pld Space and the Spectrum by Isar Aerospacecan put up to 500 kg in Heliosíncrona orbit in its reusable version.

Its first stage is essentially the lake that, of methane and liquid oxygen, with the ability to land in a barge in the ocean shortly after taking off from the Space Center of the French Guiana.

Skyhopper project. While Maiaspace continues with the disposable version of his rocket (he already has a first client, Exotrails satellites), A newly announced project will develop the necessary modifications so that the first stage of Maia can land.

He Skyhopper project It will focus that the propeller can recover, restore and reuse within 12 months since its launch. The first stage could be used again at least five times. CNES has awarded a contract of at least 20 million euros to Maiaspace to lead this advance. The first landing is planned for 2028.

Image | Maiaspace

In Xataka | “Elon Musk can monopolize everything,” says Arianespace, who has been launching all Europe’s satellites for 40 years