The future of France - based Arianespace looks uncertain after it emerges that Germany ’s DLR Aerospace Centre is considering switching its future launch commitments to Elon Musk 's SpaceX. CEO Stephane Israel has acknowledged the company could fold if it loses the contract , yet Arianespace 's ambition for 20 satellite launches in 2018 does n't come close to SpaceX 's stated goal of 18 - 20 annually . The German Aerospace Centre says it wants to continue supporting Arianespace , but costs must decrease and launch frequencies increase “ or else it will fail like Nokia ” .
The future of France-based Arianespace looks uncertain after it emerged that Germany’s DLR Aerospace Centre is considering switching its future launch commitments to Elon Musk's SpaceX. CEO Stephane Israel has acknowledged the company could fold if it loses the contract, yet Arianespace's ambition for five satellite launches in 2018 doesn't come close to SpaceX's stated goal of 18-20 annually. The German Aerospace Centre says it wishes to continue supporting Arianespace, but costs must decrease and launch frequencies increase “or else it will become like Nokia”.