Update on #HLV #Ariane6

Last August, I wrote a "Roundup of Planned #HLV here Now I am reading with interest this analysis of Ariane 6 by Eric Berger https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/04/europes-ariane-6-rocket-is-turning-into-a-space-policy-disaster/ I will summarize soon! A key nugget reads, "As of this writing [18 April 2023], the public date for the debut launch of Ariane 6 remains "late 2023," but the rocket's first flight will certainly slip into 2024. And its development budget has nearly doubled, to $4.4 billion." And Eric finishes writing, "For Europe, the optics of this are terrible . . . [and] officials from the continent are going to have to negotiate with SpaceX for a ride to space for some of their most precious satellites—never mind that the cost is likely to be lower and that the Falcon 9 is the most reliable rocket in the world, with the lowest insurance costs. It's a bitter pill to swallow."