Astrium and Arianespace signed an initial agreement on 17 September to begin the production of 18 additional Ariane 5 ECA launchers. As...
Astrium and Arianespace signed an initial agreement on 17 September to begin the production of 18 additional Ariane 5 ECA launchers.
As part of this agreement, Arianespace has ordered from Astrium, long-lead items and the start of production activities for the 18 additional launchers. These items and the first production activities are valued at more than 400 million euros. Astrium and Arianespace plan to sign the full production contract for the additional launchers before the end of 2013.
These additional 18 Ariane 5s should be launched from 2017 onwards, following on from the 35 launchers ordered in 2009 (PB batch).
Present at the signing were Alain Charmeau, CEO of Astrium Space Transportation, and Stéphane Israël, Arianespace Chairman and CEO.
This order takes the number of Ariane 5 launchers in production for Arianespace to 38, and guarantees the continued provision of launch services for the European operator’s customers at the Guiana Space Centre through to the end of the decade.
Ariane 5 can carry payloads weighing more than 10 metric tons to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) and over 20 metric tons into low-Earth orbit (LEO).
