European aerospace giant EADS has shelved plans for a new bigger 12-tonne version of its Ariane rocket owing to lack of demand. "We don't need a 12-tonne version. There's no market for it. We should put the project on ice " - Josef Kind head of EADS Space Transportation. The biggest Ariane rocket, the Ariane 5 ECA, is currently capable of carrying 10 tonnes, the equivalent of two big satellites, into space. But forecasts of a fast-growing number of big satellites being launched have proven mistaken. Instead, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company are talking about the development of unmanned space gliders that could be operational between 2015 and 2020. Kind said he expected a corresponding decision to be made by the European Space Agency in December. The project would cost an estimated 200-250 million euros per year and would guarantee around 1,500 jobs.
