Posted: Fri, Jan 31, 2003, 8:57 PM ET (0157 GMT)
Arianespace announced Friday that it had placed an order for an additional six "generic", or baseline, versions of its Ariane 5 booster. In a brief statement, the company said that it ordered the Ariane 5G boosters to "meet market requirements and continue to give customers reliable, proven launch services." The boosters are scheduled for delivery beginning in 2004. The decision is one of the first made by Arianespace in the wake of an investigation into the failure of the first upgraded Ariane 5, the Ariane 5 ECA (also known as Ariane 5 ESC-A), last December. Company officials have previously said they plan to return the Ariane 5 ECA to service in the second half of 2002, and have tentatively planned an Ariane 5G launch in late February. Concerns about the readiness of the Ariane 5 family led Arianespace and ESA to indefinitely postpone the launch of ESA's Rosetta comet mission, which was to launch in January on an Ariane 5G. The last Ariane 4 launch is scheduled for February 12.

Related Links:

•  Arianespace press release
•  Space News article (subscription required)
•  AFP article