Sometimes a Story is so Silly ...

Every now and then you run across a story that isn't so much news but something that you just have to pass on.  That story belongs to Eric Berger at Ars Technica this week for "Europe has the worst imaginable idea to counter SpaceX’s launch dominance."

The setup is not surprising: the European Space Agency is concerned about SpaceX and how far ahead of everyone else in the space industry they are.  The numbers are recognizable but still eye-popping when you read them.   

Last year, for example, SpaceX launched 134 orbital missions. Combined, Europe had three.

After this intro, Eric outlines several more legitimate reasons for the ESA to be looking for ways to regain some of their previous magic.  For one thing, Europe wants to launch something comparable to the Starlink satellites, but ultimately a smaller presence in space than Starlink to be available by the end of the decade.  

Sounds reasonable, right?  The issue is how they seem to be going about how to get there.

However, the approach being pursued by Airbus—a European aerospace corporation that is, on a basic level, akin to Boeing—seems like the dumbest idea imaginable. According to Bloomberg, "Airbus 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."

The publication reports that talks are preliminary and include France-based Thales and Italy's Leonardo S.p.A. to create a portfolio of space services. Leonardo has hired Bank of America Inc. for the plan, which has been dubbed Project Bromo. (According to Merriam-Webster, "bromo" is a form of bromide, which originates from the Greek word brōmos, meaning bad smell.)

Project stink?  I swear I'm not making this up. 

While European companies have been playing catch up with the US for around 15 years, it's hard to imagine companies like Airbus, Thales Alenia Space and the others banding together to become nimble and more efficient operators in spaceflight.  But going to Goldman Sachs for advice? 

Two decades ago, the US military forced Lockheed and Boeing to merge their launch businesses to create a single company. Although there were several goals of this venture, which became United Launch Alliance, one of them was that by combining operations, the companies could avoid duplication and become more efficient. The opposite happened. Launch prices ballooned, and America consistently ceded the commercial launch market to foreign players into the 2010s, right up until when SpaceX got its Falcon 9 rocket flying frequently.

Europe's first Ariane 6 rocket takes flight for the first time on July 9, 2024. Credit: ESA - S. Corvaja