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Europe’s Next-Generation Rocket Is Doomed Even Before First Flight, Auditor Finds

An Arianespace rocket at Paris Air Show. 

Photographer: Marlene Awaad/Bloomberg
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French satellite operator Arianespace has little hope of keeping up with competitors such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

This is the scathing assessment of France’s independent state auditor in a report that picked apart the flawed economic model behind Ariane 6, the next generation of rocket-launchers set to start operating in 2020.