CNES is getting in on the action:
Eymard was asked whether CNES is not in the position of having spent two years to catch up to SpaceX with a lower-cost expendable rocket in Ariane 6, only to find that SpaceX has moved to a partially reusable model that cuts costs even further.
“We don’t want to be in the position of appearing to follow in their footsteps all the time,” Eymard said. “But we admire what they are doing and we think it helps put pressure on all of us to do better.”
SpaceX, Blue, ULA, now the Europeans. But NASA insists on building a giant throw-away vehicle.
It's funny (or sad) that everyone is getting the reusable rocket religion except for NASA, who irrationally gave up on it after X-33 fiasco.
— Rand Simberg (@Rand_Simberg) January 5, 2015
J. R. Thompson said that "X-33 proved that reusability doesn't work." Which was, of course, totally illogical. It just proved X-33 wouldn't.
— Rand Simberg (@Rand_Simberg) January 5, 2015
SpaceX is attempting to land a stage, ULA and CNES looking into reusability. NASA continues to build unneeded giant expendable rocket.
— Rand Simberg (@Rand_Simberg) January 5, 2015