LA PLATA, Maryland — Managers of Europe’s Ariane 6 rocket told Ariane 6’s industrial contractors that they would be blocked from raising prices beyond strict limits and strictly audited to assure they don’t step over the line.
Philippe Baptiste, president of the French space agency, CNES — France is paying about 52% of Ariane 6’s cost — delivered this message earlier this month in Germany and repeated it on Nov. 30 during a briefing on the Ariane 6 program status.
The same issue occurred in the mid-1990s as component providers for the Ariane 4 rocket transitioned . . .
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