SpaceX complaints rejected by European officials
Europe points out that the US market is all but closed to European space firms, such as Ariane, and the space-race playing field is not level
Lampoldshausen — On Tuesday, European space officials rejected complaints by US rocket builder SpaceX that subsidies are hampering its access to the European market, arguing the much larger US market is virtually closed to Europe’s Ariane satellite launch vehicle. Daniel Neuenschwander, head of space transportation for the European Space Agency (ESA), said efforts are underway to cut costs and stay competitive in a market increasingly dominated by US and Chinese players, but the playing field is not level. “It’s a tough competition but we should make sure that it is done in a way that is fair,” Neuenschwander told Reuters at the opening of the new German Aerospace Centre rocket test site in Lampoldshausen, near Stuttgart. “I think that you better clean your own house before you start to complain about someone else’s.” SpaceX told the US trade representative in a letter dated December 10 and first reported last week, that European subsidies to Arianespace, Europe’s primary space laun...
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