https://youtube.com/watch?v=jrsru3ca5xY
The head of the European Space Agency took a subtle shot at his American counterparts after his organization’s successful landing on a comet, claiming his agency possesses “the best expertise of the world.”
Less than two weeks after the disastrous explosion of an American rocket and the crash of Virgin Galactic’s spacecraft prototype, Jean-Jacques Dordain was jubilant that his organization managed to place a lander on a comet moving at 34,000 miles per hour.
“Today, we have demonstrated that the European expertise — be it at ESA, be it in industry, in national space agencies, in research centers — everywhere, this is the best expertise of the world,” the Frenchman gloated. “Because we are the first to have done that. And that will stay forever!”
The U.S. space industry has seen public cuts along with private setbacks, with NASA’s budget being slashed repeatedly over the past few years.