During World Satellite Business Week in Paris, from September 8 to 12, 2014, Arianespace is announcing four new contracts for satellites to be launched by Ariane 5 ECA. These latest orders bring the number of commercial and governmental launch contracts signed to date this year to 11, including six satellites to be launched by Ariane 5 ECA and three dedicated Ariane launches. Arianespace’s dynamic business performance clearly confirms its global leadership, with a 60%market share for commercial satellite launches.
11 launch contracts to date this year
Arianespace is announcing the signature of four new launch contracts at Euroconsult’s World Satellite Business Week 2014, with:
– Intelsat (Intelsat 36)
– Sky Perfect JSAT (JCSat-15)
– Korea Telekom (KoreaSat-7)
– Avanti Communications (Hylas-4)
All of these launch contracts are for smaller geostationary satellites (from 3,300 to 3,500 kg at launch), which will be placed in the lower position for Ariane 5 dual launches into geostationary orbit, enabling Arianespace to balance its launch manifest with the heavier satellites already in the order book, which are placed in the upper position for these launches. Arianespace has already announced the launch contracts for Brisat with BRI, and with Eutelsat for the Eutelsat 172B, an “all-electric” satellite. Since the beginning of the year, including government orders, Arianespace has signed a total of 11 launch contracts. If the two contract negotiations now under way are successfully completed, Arianespace will have signed 13 contracts since the beginning of the year.
Arianespace now has a backlog of orders worth more than €4.5 billion, and holds 60% of the commercial launch market.
Building on its complementary family of three launch vehicles (Ariane 5, Soyuz, Vega), Arianespace has a record backlog of orders from 29 different customers: 38 satellites to be launched by Ariane 5 into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO), plus four dedicated Ariane 5 launches, seven Soyuz launches, and nine Vega launches.
Competitiveness, the key to Arianespace’s development
To keep pace with this exceptional backlog of orders, Arianespace has secured its procurement of launchers to meet all requirements until 2019, and has stepped up its launch rate from the Guiana Space Center. Arianespace has also launched a competitiveness improvement project, applying a continuous improvement approach that addresses its customers’ expectations and the evolving marketplace. The primary aim of this initiative is to reduce costs for the entire European launcher industry, by working closely with both government and industry partners.
“We are very honored by our customers’ renewed confidence, as well as the new customers we have added to our clientele,” said Stéphane Israël, Chairman and CEO of Arianespace. “The eleven contracts signed so far this year, and the two exclusive negotiations under way, clearly demonstrate the pertinence of Arianespace’s product offering, which strikes an optimum balance between reliability, availability and cost.”
About Arianespace
Arianespace is the world’s leading satellite launch company, providing innovation to its customers since 1980. Backed by 21 shareholders and the European Space Agency, the company offers an international workforce renowned for a culture of commitment and excellence.
As of September 8, 2014, Arianespace had carried out a total of 218 Ariane launches, 35 Soyuz launches (9 at the Guiana Space Center and 26 at Baikonur with Starsem) and three Vega launches. The company’s headquarters is in Evry, near Paris, and it has a facility at the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, plus local offices in Washington DC (United States), Tokyo (Japan) and Singapore.
