Skip to content
Narrow screen resolution Wide screen resolution Auto adjust screen size Increase font size Decrease font size Default font size

Jeff Krukin - NewSpace Business Development and The Human-Space Connection®


Home
Is Europe Handing NewSpace To US Entrepreneurs? Pt. 2 (A Colleague Responds) Print E-mail
Written by Jeff Krukin   
Wednesday, 02 July 2008
In my last article I asked "Is Europe Handing NewSpace To US Entrepreneurs?"  Shortly thereafter, I received comments from one of my colleagues engaged with the European space community, and he provides fabulous insight that can only come from hands-on experience. Dear Jeff,
 
I am in full agreement with your comments and would like to add a few personal opinions.
 
1-  The EADS ASTRIUM idea of the sub-orbital plane has probably been conceived by a handful of "polytechnicians" obsessed, as usual among representatives of that academic population, by the idea of emulating the Americans. The point is that "polytechnicians" are not well trained to pay attention to required capabilities (including know-how) and to the related costs and time schedule. I would no be surprised if some of the guys who launched this sub-orbital plane project were in the team which brought to a complete disaster the Hermès project.
 
2- Herr Guenter Verheugen is German, I suppose. I am therefore not surprised by his statements. Certainly Mr Verheugen is a brilliant person with a lot of business knowledge and common sense.  The lack of vision and refusal to anticipate the future are, however, typical of his generation, and even of the new German generation. At least this is what I have been told by some high level Germans having "vision."  This is a major problem for Europe.
 
Therefore, let me try to answer to the question in your title. Europe is not handing NewSpace to American entrepreneurs: Europe simply does not even understand that the NewSpace is developing and rapidly growing (but in 10-15 years some "polytechnicians" will ask for huge governmental money to fill the gap with the U.S.).
 
All the best

XXXXXXXXXXXX 
 
< Prev   Next >
[ Back ]