--- title: "Europe’s New Reusable Rocket Design Borrows Heavily From SpaceX" description: "Europe debuted a reusable rocket design last week called ArianeWorks — and it looks very reminiscent of SpaceX's Falcon 9." date: "2019-02-26" modified: "2019-02-26" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/europe-reusable-rocket-design-spacex" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" tags: - "ESA" - "falcon 9" - "SpaceX" - "the digest" --- # Europe’s New Reusable Rocket Design Borrows Heavily From SpaceX ![Europe's rocket manufacturer Ariane Group and French space agency CNES came up with a new universalized "acceleration platform" called "ArianeWorks."]() *\Image: Ariane Group\* ## Acceleration Platform European rocket manufacturer ArianeGroup and French space agency CNES debuted a reusable rocket design last week called ArianeWorks — and it looks very reminiscent of SpaceX's Falcon 9. "To be fair, the European rocket builders have not sought to hide their emulation of SpaceX," [wrote Eric Berger]() for *Ars Technica,* pointing out that CNES officials had been very forthcoming about how plans for a hopper vehicle in 2012 were very similar to SpaceX's work. ## Ariane Grande According to the [promotional video](), the [Prometheus engines]() that powers the new space vehicle features 100 tons of thrust uses a mix of oxygen and methane as fuel — meaning it could make future rocket launches up to ten times cheaper. The rocket itself will cost an estimated [$1.1 million U.S.]() and will feature [3D printed parts](). Plans by the European Space Agency call for the use of the Prometheus rocket for the successor of the [Ariane 6]() — a non-reusable launcher that [costs substantially more](). ## Head Start SpaceX's Merlin 1D rocket used for Falcon 9 rocket launches has some very similar specs — up to 914 kilonewtons or 93 tons of thrust — as *Ars* pointed out. The rocket shown in the promotional video also features four landing legs — just like the Falcon 9. But SpaceX has a massive head start: last week, the Elon Musk-led space company launched the same Falcon 9 rocket for a [record-breaking fourth time](). So far, all we've seen of Ariane's new platform is a fancy animation. **READ MORE:** [Europe unveils design of reusable rocket that looks a lot like a Falcon 9]() \[*Ars Technica*\] ***More on ArianeGroup: [Europe Wants to Extract Rocket Fuel From Lunar Surface in 2025]()*** ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()