Sicuramente molto del lavoro e delle idee vengono da altri, ma i manager e gli imprenditori normali sono molto piu’ restii a ragionare e investire fuori dagli schemi. Gia’ SpaceX ha piu’ linee di business di grande successo, i lanciatori ma anche Starlink, che infatti per un certo tempo sembrava sarebbe stato uno spin off. Negli scorsi anni eravamo alla ricerca della killer application che permettesse allo spazio di diventare una industria remunerativa facendo voumi. Eccola qua la killer application, che ha pure implicazioni geopolitiche e militari e c’e’ pure Tesla, che ha innescato un cambio epocale nell’automotive, ovvero in quella che in passato era la madre di tutte le industrie. Se lo stesso soggetto e’ dietro a innovazioni rivoluzionarie in piu’ settori, per le leggi della statistica e’ impossibile che sia un caso, e non credo proprio che sia tutto finanziato con i magheggi con le criptovalute che prima manco esistevano in questi termini.
Quello che dovrebbero fare tutti e’ studiare come sono avvenuti questi cambiamenti epocali e copiarli o copiarne gli aspetti piu’ utili.
Se si scopre che dalle nostre parti ci sono forze che si oppongono ai cambiamenti epocali bisogna farli smettere prima che ci tirino nella tomba.
Che poi i frenatori ci sono anche negli USA ma non riescono a bloccare tutte le innovazioni per quanto spalleggiate da schiere di senatori, perche’ la liberta’ degli individui di provare cose e di regolare poco li e’ quasi una religione.
Restando in campo spaziale comunque ci sono tante altre strade possibili probabilmente, basta avere la volonta’ di provarle senza costruirci baracconi costosi subito che affosserebbero il test.
Io ripeto, sono fortemente affascinato dall’approccio di Rocket Lab che e’ troppo poco finanziato, perche’ l’idea di mettere il secondo stadio al sicuro dentro il booster e tirarlo fuori solo una volta usciti dall’atmosfera a me sembra geniale e ultrapromettente. Si potrebbe anche approfondire i motivi tecnici per cui questa o altre strade sono interessanti.
Peccato che neanche Rocket Lab sia Europea.
Forse siamo un continente condannato a inseguire, non ad innovare veramente. Non piu’. D’altronde il “second mover advantage” e’ concreto, potrebbe pure essere una buona strategia.
Airbus SE has hired Goldman Sachs Group Inc. for advice on an effort to forge a new European space and satellite company that can better compete with Elon Musk’s dominant SpaceX, according to people familiar with the matter.
The talks to create a space and satellite business with French aerospace company Thales and Italy’s Leonardo SpA are at an exploratory stage and its full portfolio of services hasn’t been set, the people said, asking not to be identified because discussions are confidential.
[…] Details of the three-way venture are still in flux, and antitrust considerations are likely to shape the structure of any deal, the people said. Leonardo Chief Executive Officer Roberto Cingolani said on 28 January that he met with Airbus counterpart Guillaume Faury to discuss European collaboration and that progress had been made on a new alliance on space and satellites.
Un articolo di Europe in Space che fa il punto sulla European Launcher Challenge.
In an op-ed published in the French newspaper Les Echoson 28 January, MaiaSpace CEO Yohann Leroy argued that “the European Launcher Challenge must not become a competition between states.” However, Leroy’s plea appears to have fallen on deaf ears, as countries rush to bolster their chosen champions with funding ahead of the launch of the bidding process next month.
Segnalo due articoli sullo sviluppo del settore militare spaziale in Europa.
Il primo articolo indaga le potenziali vulnerabilità dell’Europa in uno scenario post-NATO analizzando quali capacità verrebbero a mancare e gli eventuali programmi che potrebbero sostituirle. (nota: il linguaggio è abbastanza colorito nei confronti dell’attuale amministrazione USA ma il testo risulta IMO interessante)
Let’s analyze:
European capability to rapidly deploy large constellations in an economically sustainable manner (launch)
European capability to track energy weapons targeted at the continent (early warning)
European capability to track moving objects in the continent (remote sensing)
European capability to track moving objects in space (situational awareness)
European capability to ensure position and navigation information to critical assets (position, navigation, and time)
European capability to keep leaders fed with all data from the systems above while staying connected during a conflict (high-bandwidth space data networks)
Il secondo articolo è una ricognizione del settore - un labirinto inestricabile di sigle - che descrive lo stato delle varie iniziative europee nell’ambito del dominio spaziale, aggiornato al gennaio del 2024.
In this paper, we briefly show how the armed forces of European states increased their interoperability in space and the upper atmosphere. To do this, we refer to the new European space commands, the investments of European countries, military exercises concerning the space domain and, finally, the most recent developments concerning European high-atmosphere hypersonic missile interceptors.
Un video sui lanciatori privati attualmente in sviluppo in Europa.
Today, we’ll be looking at six of the most exciting and innovative European spaceflight companies, see how their rockets work, when and where they are launching, and get some insights into the incredible and unheard of systems behind these rockets. We’ll be talking about Rocket Factory Augsburg / RFA, PLD Space, Skyrora, Orbex, HyImpulse and Isar Aerospace.
Un lungo editoriale di Andrew Parsonson - Europe in Space sullo sviluppo dell’industria aerospaziale in seguito ai cambiamenti geopolitici in corso, prendendo spunto anche dal recentissimo White Paper for European Defence – Readiness 2030 [pdf] presentato dalla Commissione.
We’re at a turning point. I don’t think anyone would refute that. Europe has dipped its toes into sovereign capabilities, but we are now being forced to take the plunge or risk being dragged under by the clown car from across the Atlantic. A few years ago, that might have worried me. However, a perfect storm of geopolitical shifts and strategic necessity has arrived just in time. Instead of shying away, the continent and its leaders appear eager to rise to the challenge and forge a path that separates us from a great power we have proudly called an ally since our bond was forged in the fires of the Second World War. This is not a step we take lightly or without regret. But it is a challenge we can and will meet head-on.
Secondo un articolo pubblicato dal Financial Times, l’Unione Europea starebbe valutando la possibilità di creare una nuova costellazione di satelliti da osservazione. (nessun dettaglio per ora)
Brussels is exploring building a new satellite network to provide military intelligence as doubts mount over the US’s commitment to European defence. The system would aim to partly replace US capabilities, after President Donald Trump’s pause on intelligence sharing with Ukraine this month highlighted Europe’s reliance on America.
“Given the changes in the geopolitical situation, the European Commission is considering expanding its satellite capacities to improve geospatial intelligence support for security,” defence and space commissioner Andrius Kubilius told the Financial Times.
Degli 800 miliardi di euro per il riarmo europeo qualcuno finirà nello spazio. Ma non direi che è ottimo, purtroppo. Ottima sarebbe la collaborazione globale e i satelliti spia sono l’opposto della collaborazione. E poi, per definizione, sapremo poco o nulla di questi satelliti.
Non mi soffermavo però sulle singole iniziative che si metteranno in piedi nei prossimi mesi ma su una visione che sta cambiando da subalterni ad artefici del nostro futuro e penso che il comparto aerospaziale ne beneficerà, almeno lo spero perchè questa è l’ultima chiamata.
ESA ha pubblicato il bando per la European Launcher Challenge (ELC).
Un articolo con i dettagli su European Spaceflight.
The most notable update from initial reports is that the challenge will be split into two main components. The first will see the selected candidate provide launch services for ESA programmes and “possibly” other institutional customers from 2026 to 2030. The second component will cover a “launch service capacity upgrade demonstration” that requires the launch of the upgraded variant by 2028.
To qualify for contracts under the first component, candidates must complete a successful demonstration mission by the end of 2027. […] Proposals must be submitted by 5 May 2025, after which ESA will begin an evaluation period. […] According to ESA, it will award a maximum of €169 million per company.
Segnalo un articolo molto interessante di Europe In Space che riassume una audizione tenuta al Parlamento francese circa la possibilità e l’opportunità di sviluppare il volo spaziale umano in Europa.
On 13 March, the French National Assembly convened a hearing on human spaceflight to examine whether Europe should pursue the development of sovereign crewed launch capabilities. While the session included the predictable rubber-stamping of the proposal, there were also speakers who offered a surprisingly cogent argument against it.
Although the hearing was broad in scope, the discussion ultimately revolved around three central questions: what kind of crewed capability Europe should develop, where those missions should go, and why Europe should pursue human spaceflight.
Il video dell’audizione (in francese, ça va sans dire) è qui:
Articolo di Europe in Space sulla possibile identità delle 12 candidature annunciate da ESA.
During a press conference at the Paris Air Show earlier this month, officials from the European Space Agency announced that 12 submissions had been received for the agency’s European Launcher Challenge call for proposals, which was published in March 2025. The agency did not, however, provide any insight into which companies had submitted proposals.
tl;dr: secondo l’autore potrebbero essere
MaiaSpace (Maia)
HyPrSpace (Orbital Baguette 1 - OB-1)
Latitude (Zephyr)
Sirius Space Services (Sirius 13)
Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA One)
Isar Aerospace (Spectrum)
HyImpulse (SL1)
The Exploration Company (in consorzio)
Orbex (Prime)
Skyrora (Skyrora XL)
Pangea Aerospace (in consorzio)
PLD Space (MIURA 5)
If one had to guess the likely recipients of European Launcher Challenge awards, Isar Aerospace, MaiaSpace, and Orbex would be at the top of the list. PLD Space could be a potential fourth, but with Spain already committing €40.5 million to the company, it’s unclear whether the government would be willing, or able, to reach into its pockets again.
Qualche giorno fa, durante il Paris Air Show, Dassault ha svelato VORTEX, Véhicule Orbital Réutilisable de Transport et d’Exploration.
Trailer:
L’articolo da European Spaceflight:
Dassault Aviation has signed agreements with the French Ministry of the Armed Forces and the European Space Agency to develop a new spaceplane called VORTEX. During the Paris Air Show last week, French military and civil aviation manufacturer Dassault Aviation revealed plans for its VORTEX spaceplane, short for Véhicule Orbital Réutilisable de Transport et d’Exploration (Reusable Orbital Transport and Exploration Vehicle). According to the company, the vehicle would be used to transport cargo to and from space stations and to carry out a “range of in-orbit services.” Dassault has also stated that VORTEX could be used for defence applications.
Nella seconda immagine del post (non si vede nella anteprima e non sono riuscito a individuare la fonte, quindi non la pubblico) c’è una galleria di progetti dal 1962 al 2022. Non sapevo che l’Hermes avesse avuto tutte quelle varianti.
Rivivrai la triste storia, io ero bambino appassionato e mi facevo spedire da ESA pubblicazioni e brochures (anni 80 tutto via posta), di come Hermes si è appesantito e alla fine è rimasto un bel mockup.
ESA has just completed the first stage of the European Launcher Challenge, where Challengers were invited to submit proposals via esa-star tendering. The evaluation criteria include technical maturity, business maturity and sustainability, institutional market planned to be served as well as compliance to procurement rules. After a thorough evaluation, ESA preselected the proposals of the following Challengers. […]
Now, ESA will start a dialogue phase with preselected Challengers and iterations with concerned ESA Member states to consolidate the European Launcher Challenge programme proposal and legal documentation in terms of funding, related content and/or phasing of the project, with the envisioned subscriptions to CM25 (i.e. the moment Member States commit funding). The second stage of the tender will open after CM25, restricted to the preselected challengers. Signature of the European Launcher Challenge contracts will follow.
Thread con video e info varie:
Edit.
Thread di European Spaceflight con le schede dei vettori candidati.
MaiaSpace (Maia)
Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA One)
Orbex (Prime)
Pangea Aerospace (in consorzio)
Thread con video e info varie: