The head of the French space agency Lionel Suchet wondered about the future of European cooperation with NASA in the exploration of the Moon and the International Space Station (ISS) in the face of Elon Musk’s policy, in an interview in the world.
The NASA Artemis program in which France and the European Space Agency (ESA) are committed “is to have a station permanently around the Moon, the Gateway, which will have its own activity and will welcome astronauts,” recalls Lionel Suchet, CEO of CNES, National Center for Spatial Studies, in an interview on Friday.
“This model is challenged by Elon Musk. He considers that there is no need for such a station and that we can go and land directly on the moon, while recalling in the process that priority is the conquest of March, “he continues.
European heavy goods vehicles, Thales Alenia Space and Airbus “are very committed to this program”, the motor blocks and the supports of the Orion capsule which will supply the Gateway, are made in Germany “.
“NASA has designed the Space Launch System (SLS) launcher which will be used to orbit the Orion capsule; It is a giant rocket which is not made by the firm of Elon Musk. If there is no more station, there will be no more orion capsule, nor ESM (European service modules) and even less SLS launcher. This arouses strong questions, ”continues Lionel Suchet.
Asked about many delays and the new launch date of Artemis, the manager evokes “mid-2027” by adding: “The question is whether it will be really done”.
He also believes that the other countries have “nothing” to oppose the wish of Elon Musk to advance from three years to 2027 the end of the International Space Station (ISS) “because the United States has a major role”.
“If they decide to stop this intergovernmental program, it is not the Russians alone or the Europeans who will be able to maintain it,” he insists.
Regarding the French astronaut Sophie Adenot, who trains in Houston for a flight in 2026, “there is no sign saying that his flight is arrested” at this stage.
But the stopping of the station earlier than expected could have “consequences on private projects that have been launched by NASA around the ISS and low orbit, sometimes with musk competitors”. “We may be on the eve of a fairly deep upheaval of the balances,” he concludes.
