Ariane NextAriane Next is a future European partially reusable launch vehicle planned to succeed Ariane 6, with an entry into service in the 2030s. The objective of the new launcher is to halve the launch costs compared with Ariane 6.
ArianeGroupArianeGroup (formerly Airbus Safran Launchers) is an aerospace company based in France. A joint venture between Airbus and Safran, the company was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris. It consists of three core groups: aerospace, defence, and security. ArianeGroup has developed its next-generation two-stage Ariane 6 launch vehicle, which succeeded the Ariane 5 rocket, that had more than 110 launches.
Prometheus (rocket engine)The Prometheusrocket engine is an ongoing European Space Agency (ESA) development effort begun in 2017 to create a reusablemethane-fueled rocket engine for use on the Themis reusable rocket demonstrator, Ariane Next, the successor to Ariane 6, possibly a version of Ariane 6 itself, and the Maia reusable launch vehicle.
Maia (rocket)Maia is an orbital reusable launch vehicle currently under development by the French startup MaiaSpace, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ArianeGroup. A two-stage rocket, it will consist of a first stage with three Prometheus engines as well as a re-ignitable second stage with a single Prometheus engine. An optional Colibri kick stage could be added if need be, powered by a cluster of engines whose development has been outsourced to the Polish institute ]–ILOT.
EsrangeEsrange Space Center or Esrange is Sweden's space and research center located about 40 kilometers east of the town of Kiruna in northern Sweden, owned and operated by SSC Space. The base itself covers 20 square kilometers, while the impact area for rockets is 5,600 km. Located 200 km north of the Arctic Circle, the geographic location of Esrange is advantageous thanks to the limited light pollution, allowing for studies of northern lights.
Reusable launch vehicleVehicles that can go to space and returnRecovery of Falcon 9 first-stage booster after its first landing
CALLISTOCALLISTO (Cooperative Action Leading to Launcher Innovation in Stage Toss-back Operations) is a reusable VTVLdemonstrator propelled by a small 40 kN Japanese LOX-LH2 rocket engine. It is being developed jointly by the French (CNES), German (DLR), and Japanese (JAXA) national space agencies. JAXA's RV-X vehicle, first flown in 2026, serves as a Japanese technology pathfinder for CALLISTO.
European Space AgencyEuropean organisation dedicated to space explorationThe European Space Agency (ESA; pronounced ) is a 23-member international organisation devoted to space exploration. It has its headquarters in Paris and a staff of around 3,000 people globally as of 2025. ESA was founded in 1975 in the context of European integration. Its 2026 annual budget was around €8.3 billion.
CNESCNES (French: Centre national d'études spatiales, lit.'National Centre for Space Studies') is the French national space agency. Headquartered in central Paris, the agency is overseen by the ministries of the Armed Forces, Economy and Finance and Higher Education, Research and Innovation. It operates from the Toulouse Space Centre and the Guiana Space Centre. The president of CNES is François Jacq. CNES is a member of Institute of Space, its Applications and Technologies.
JAXAThe Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is the operator of the Japanese space program and Japan's national aeronautics research agency. It was formed in 2003 through the merger of the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, the National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan, and the National Space Development Agency of Japan. JAXA has conducted missions including the SELENE lunar orbiter, the SLIM lunar lander and rovers, and the Hayabusa asteroid missions.
German Aerospace CenterThe German Aerospace Center (German: Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V.; DLR) is Germany's research and technology organization for aeronautics and space. It conducts research for these fields, as well as in energy, transport, security and defense. The German Space Agency at the DLR is Germany's space agency. DLR also serves as a project management agency (Projektträger) both nationally and internationally. DLR is headquartered in Cologne.
Multistage rocketA multistage rocket or step rocket is a launch vehicle that uses two or more rocketstages, each of which contains its own engines and propellant. A tandem or serial stage is mounted on top of another stage; a parallel stage is attached alongside another stage. The result is effectively two or more rockets stacked on top of or attached next to each other. Two-stage rockets are quite common, but rockets with as many as five separate stages have been successfully launched.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.