ArsTechnica: European Vega or Ariane 5 rockets will not be able to replace the Russian Soyuz
The European Union will miss rockets after the suspension of launches of Russian medium-sized Soyuz-2 carriers from the Kourou cosmodrome in French Guiana, says ArsTechnica.
The American edition reminds that during the next launch of Soyuz-2, two satellites of the Galileo navigation system were to be launched from Kourou, and the Vega or Ariane 5 carriers will not be able to replace the Russian rocket.
The publication notes that the Vega light rocket is not enough to launch two Galileo spacecraft, while the launches of the Ariane 5 heavy rocket, which is being decommissioned, have already been planned. The author from the USA admits that the Ariane 6 carrier of two modifications, which will be able to replace Soyuz-2 and Ariane 5, will not be put into operation until at least 2023.
"Therefore, it is unclear what steps Europe can take when it needs to launch the Galileo satellite quickly," the publication says. The publication considers it unlikely that SpaceX rockets will be used to launch European satellites.
Earlier, Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Rogozin said that the state corporation, in response to EU sanctions, would suspend cooperation with Europe on Soyuz-2 rocket launches from Kuru.
On February 25, the Council of Foreign Ministers of the EU countries approved the second package of sanctions against Russia due to a special operation in the Donbass.
Also in February, Rogozin proposed to finalize the Kourou launch complex for launching manned spacecraft. He noted that the use of the Soyuz MS spacecraft and the Soyuz-2 rocket will allow European taxpayers to save money.
