Jean-Yves Le Gall, chairman and CEO of Arianespace, earned Via Satellite’s 2005 Satellite Executive of the Year award by returning the European launch provider to the top of its field after suffering through a difficult period. In the three years since garnering the award, Le Gall has kept Arianespace moving in the right direction, placing it firmly atop the heavy-lift launch field.
In 2008, Arianespace maintained its ambitious launch rate, performing six Ariane 5 missions and a Soyuz launch that placed a combined 70 metric tons of payload into orbit. It also launched the Jules Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle to the International Space Station last year. On the order side, Arianespace captured 13 contracts out of the 18 it identified as open to competition in 2008, bringing its backlog to 27 geostationary satellites along with missions scheduled for other orbits, and this does not include a contract to place Europe’s Galileo constellation in orbit.
"I think the most important issue so far in space is the fact that in just 12 months, from August 14, 2007, to August 14, 2008, we launched a total of nine Ariane 5s, and we launched 70 tons into orbit," he says. "The capability to make nine launches in just 12 months is a world record, and this, of course, is a consequence of our excellent track record for the number of contracts that are signed because in just 24 months (2007 and 2008), we signed a total of 24 contracts."
Le Gall spoke with Via Satellite Editor Jason Bates about Arianespace’s recent successes, as well as the launch providers plans for the future, which include six to eight Ariane 5 launches and the first Soyuz mission from the Guiana Space Center in 2009 and the introduction of the Vega light launch vehicle in 2010.
Via Satellite: Arianespace performed nine launches in a 12-month period from August 2007 to August 2008. Can you maintain that rate if your customers demand it?
Le Gall: This has demonstrated the capability of our operational team in French Guiana and also the capability of our industrial team in Europe, because we launched those satellites right on time. We have the launchers and operational capability to meet customer demand. Our launch campaigns take approximately one month. Satellites now are ready when they leave the factory. The need for the number of tests to be performed on the launch pads is now lower and the number of people who must visit the launch pad before liftoff is also smaller.
Via Satellite: What upgrades have you made on the ground to maintain this pace?
Le Gall: We have completely revised our operations. We make double and triple checks well before the launch, in order to be sure that once the launch vehicle and the satellite are ready, we launch them immediately. We do not have delays because equipment on the launch pad had not been checked. We thoroughly check everything the day before the launch so that the launch will go very smoothly and will be on schedule.
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