European nations agreed Tuesday to build a new-generation rocket to maintain their lead in the market for satellite launches, the French and German space ministers said.
The European Space Agency (ESA) "took a major decision -- to develop a new launcher, the Ariane 6, which will replace the Ariane 5, with a maiden flight scheduled for 2020," French Research Minister Genevieve Fioraso said in a statement, describing the deal as "historic".