Employees of Europe's Arianespace launch services company on July 8 staged a 30-minute work stoppage to express their anxiety about the company's future in light of industrial and government calls for an overhaul of Europe's launch sector. The walkout occurred even as ministers responsible for space policy in five European governments were meeting in Geneva to assess competing designs for a next-generation Ariane 6 rocket. The ministers from France, Germany, Italy, Belgium and Switzerland made no formal decision but agreed to reassess the situation in September after further study of the costs associated with the two designs. For the moment, ministers from the 20-nation European Space Agency are still scheduled to meet in December in Luxembourg to make final decisions on how to adapt the Ariane rocket system to a new competitive environment. The ministers will also determine Europe's future involvement in the international space station.
展开▼
