Following the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders on Wednesday, April 8, 2009 in Evry, France, Arianespace announced 2008 sales of 955.7 million euros, with net income of 2.5 million euros.
Despite the global economic crisis Arianespace enjoyed a remarkable year in 2008, in terms of both number of launches and new launch contracts.
Arianespace confirmed its world leadership, as it carried out six Ariane 5 launches, orbiting 10 geostationary satellites plus the Jules Verne ATV to the International Space Station. It won 13 of the 18 launch contracts open to competition during the year.
Furthermore, in 2008 Arianespace was selected by the European Commission and the European Space Agency (ESA) to launch the entire Galileo constellation.
Since the beginning of the year, Arianespace has already carried out one Ariane 5 launch and has signed five new launch contracts: Hispasat 1E, Arabsat 5C and Badr 7, Yamal 401 and 402.
Arianespace plans to carry out seven Ariane 5 launches in 2009, plus the first Soyuz launch from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana. At the same time, Arianespace aims to maintain its ample market share through the concurrent operation of Ariane 5 and Soyuz, which perfectly matches the needs of the company’s customers.
About Arianespace
Arianespace is the world’s leading launch Service & Solutions company, delivering this innovative offer to its customers since 1980. Backed by its 23 shareholders and the European Space Agency, Arianespace proposes an unrivalled launcher family, comprising Ariane 5, Soyuz and Vega, and an international workforce renowned for their culture of commitment and excellence. As of 01 April 2009, Arianespace had launched a total of 267 payloads, including more than half of all the commercial satellites now in service worldwide. It has a backlog of more than 20 Ariane 5 and 10 Soyuz launches, equal to 3 years of business. www.arianespace.com
