spacetoday.net: Arianespace gets launch contracts

Posted: Tue, Jan 4, 2005, 8:03 PM ET (0103 GMT)
Ariane 5 ESC-A (Arianespace)

French launch provider Arianespace announced Tuesday that it has won contracts for five launches of European satellites on Ariane and Soyuz vehicles. The company said it won a contract for the launch of Skynet 5A and 5B, a pair of military communications satellites, on Ariane 5 boosters in 2006 and 2007. The company also announced it won a contract from the French space agency CNES for launches of two Pleiades military remote sensing satellites; those satellites will be launched on Russian Soyuz launches from Kourou in 2008 and 2009. Arianespace will also launch CNES's Corot astronomy satellite on a Soyuz from Baikonur in 2006. The company also reported that despite carrying out only three launches in 2004, the company earned a small profit on €700 million (US$930 million) in revenue. The company is planning six Ariane 5 launches in 2004, starting with the return-to-flight of the Ariane 5 ECA in early February.