Industry Aerospace Headquarters Évry, Essonne, France Founded 1980 Number of employees 321 | Website arianespace.com Founder Frédéric d'Allest Revenue 1.433 billion EUR (2015) Net income 4 million EUR (2015) | |
 | ||
Type Launch Service Provider CEO Stéphane Israël (22 Apr 2013–) Profiles | ||
Arianespace vol vs16 hispasat 36w 1 vf
Arianespace SA is a French multinational company founded in 1980 as the world's first commercial launch service provider. It undertakes the production, operation, and marketing of the Ariane programme. The main launch vehicles offered by the company are the Ariane 5, the Soyuz-2 as a medium-lift alternative, and the Vega as a lighter one.
Contents
- Arianespace vol vs16 hispasat 36w 1 vf
- India s gsat 8 mitsubishi electric s st 2 satellites launched by arianespace 2011 05 21
- The company and its infrastructure
- Subsidiaries
- Competition and pricing
- Launch Vehicles
- Ariane launch vehicles
- Arianes Cup
- References
As of 2008, more than 240 commercial launches have occurred since May 22, 1984. Arianespace states that the total number of launch contracts signed since Ariane launches commenced operations in 1984 is 285. Arianespace uses the Centre Spatial Guyanais in French Guiana as a launch site. It has its headquarters in Courcouronnes, Essonne, France, near Évry.
On 21 October 2011 Arianespace launched the first Soyuz rocket ever from outside former Soviet territory. The payload was two Galileo navigation satellites.
India s gsat 8 mitsubishi electric s st 2 satellites launched by arianespace 2011 05 21
The company and its infrastructure
Arianespace primary shareholders are its suppliers, in the various nations of the European Union. Arianespace currently has 18 shareholders:
Arianespace shareholding has been restructured with the creation of an Airbus Safran Launchers company that will develop and manufacture the Ariane 6 launcher. Airbus and Safran shareholdings were pooled along with the purchase of the French governments CNES stake to form a partnership company holding just under 74% of Arianespace shares while the remaining 26% is spread across companies in ten countries including further Airbus subsidiaries.
Subsidiaries
Competition and pricing
In 2004, Arianespace held more than 50 percent of the world market for boosting satellites to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO).
The disruptive force represented by new sector entrant SpaceX forced Arianespace to cut workforce and focus on cost-cutting to decrease costs to remain competitive against the new low-cost entrant in the launch sector. According to an Arianespace managing director, "It's quite clear there's a very significant challenge coming from SpaceX," he said. "Therefore things have to change … and the whole European industry is being restructured, consolidated, rationalised and streamlined."
In the midst of pricing pressure from U.S. company SpaceX, Arianespace made a November 2013 announcement of pricing flexibility for the "lighter satellites" it carries to Geostationary orbits aboard its Ariane 5. In early 2014, Arianespace requested additional subsidies from European governments to face the competition from SpaceX and unfavorable changes in the Euro-Dollar exchange rate. Reducing pricing allowed Arianespace to sign four additional contracts in September 2014 for a lower slots on an Ariane 5 SYLDA dispenser for the satellites that otherwise could be flown on SpaceX launch vehicle. Overall Arianespace signed 11 contracts in 2014 until September, with two additional being in a late stage of negotiations. As of September 2014 Arianespace has a backlog of launches worth €4.5 billion with 38 satellites to be launched on Ariane 5, 7 on Soyuz and 9 on Vega, claiming 60% of the global satellite launch market. By November 2014, SpaceX had "already begun to take market share" from Arianespace, and Eutelsat CEO Michel de Rosen—a major customer of Arianespace—said that "Each year that passes will see SpaceX advance, gain market share and further reduce its costs through economies of scale."
Launch Vehicles
Currently Arianespace operates 3 launch vehicles, including two versions of Ariane 5:
Additionally Arianespace offers optional back-up launch service on H-IIA through Launch Services Alliance.
Ariane launch vehicles
Since the first launch in 1979, there have been several versions of the Ariane launch vehicle:
New Ariane 6 vehicle is in development. It would be payload wise in league of Ariane 5 and has tentatively its first test flight in 2020 as of 2016.
Ariane's Cup
The Ariane's Cup is a sailing competition organized on behalf of the Industrials participating in the Ariane programme.