spacetoday.net: ESA reaches agreement on Ariane, Soyuz funding

Posted: Fri, Feb 6, 2004, 9:22 AM ET (1422 GMT)
Ariane 5 prior to flight 160 launch (Arianespace)

The member nations of the European Space Agency have agreed to release funds to support the Ariane 5 as well as construct a launch pad for Soyuz launches from Kourou. The agreement, reached late Wednesday and formally announced Thursday, will provide €960 million (US$1.2 billion) for the European Guaranteed Access to Space program, an effort to financially support the Ariane 5 booster by paying for some of the fixed costs associated with the program. The program also provides €223 million (US$280 million) of the €344 million (US$430 million) to construct a launch pad in Kourou, French Guiana to permit launches of Soyuz vehicles there. Soyuz launches are slated to begin there in 2006. Arianespace will pay the remainder of the cost. ESA had tried to win approval for the funding during a December meeting, but could not work out a funding formula among the member nations. Space News reported this week's meeting was contentious, and at one point ESA Director-General Jean-Jacques Dordain warned that unless an agreement was reaching during the meeting, he would have to contact Arianespace and tell them to prepare to file for bankruptcy.