Wider Launcher Variety to Keep Arianespace Stable, Says Executive
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Arianespace will rely on a wider range of launch vehicles to give the company stability as the large satellite operators’ launch campaigns approach the tail end of launch cycles, said Clay Mowry, the U.S. president of Arianespace said on a panel at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics conference. While the company’s revenue has suffered in the past from the end of commercial satellite launch cycles, Arianespace is hoping that a bigger variety of launch vehicles to launch different types of satellites will help keep its manifest schedule full, he said. Maintaining a full manifest is the biggest challenge for the company, especially since it has so little effect on demand for launch services, he said.
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Recent calls for increased international cooperation in U.S. space policy mark a change welcomed at home and overseas, though the policy didn’t include any “groundbreaking changes,” said Mowry. While Arianespace “applauds the reforms,” Mowry said, the U.S. should remain cautious about dealing with countries that have had problems of missile proliferation and using technology illegally. Added international cooperation could pose a problem for U.S. launchers if they are forced to compete with state-run launch providers, said United Launch Alliance CEO Mike Gass.
The space policy’s emphasis on commercial launch providers is a good thing for a company like SpaceX and will help its business case for the future, said Gwynne Shotwell, its president. While new entrants to the launch industry may cause pain, they are good for the community overall, she said. Barriers to keep out new entrants will hurt innovation and hold the industry in a “muddy, stodgy place,” she said.