Jean-Yves Le Gall, Chairman and CEO of Arianespace, Anatoly Perminov, Managing Director of the Russian Space Agency Roskosmos, Alexander Kiriline, Managing Director of Samara Space Center, Georgy Politschuk, Managing Director and Production Director of NPO Lavotchkine, Igor. Barmine, Managing Director of KBOM, and Valery Krekhtunov, Deputy Managing Director of TsENKI, have signed the contract for purchase of the first four Soyuz launch vehicles to be launched from the Guiana Space Center starting in 2009.
The contract between Arianespace and its Russian partners provides for the delivery of four Soyuz 2 launchers (in the configuration with three stages, a fairing, Fregat upper stage and payload adapter), and the associated propellant and fluids. This contract also covers launch preparations and operations, as well as maintenance of the Russian systems at the Guiana Space Center.
The first two launchers will be ready for shipment to French Guiana at the end of 2008.
This contract marks a new step in the introduction of Soyuz from the launch site in French Guiana. Arianespace has already signed several contracts involving this new launch system, which completes the family of launchers operated by Arianespace, alongside Ariane 5 and Vega.
