Arianespace is one of the leading players in the launch services arena offering customers a variety of launch vehicles and options and also has signed a number of deals in 2007, including being one of the main beneficiaries of SES Global’s plans to secure long-term access to space. Chairman and CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall talks to Via Satellite Associate Editor Mark Holmes about the current state of the launch services market and why Arianespace is positioned better than most of its competitors.
Via Satellite: How would you assess the launch services market over the last year?
Le Gall: Overall, I have been pleased with our reactivity to changes in the launch services market. The last year has been a bit unusual. In addition to the foreseen launches on our manifest, at the last minute we were asked to accommodate a number of orphaned payloads. Of course, we obliged, and on August 14 we were able to launch the first of these — Spaceway 3 — only six short months after the contract was signed. I was extremely pleased with how our team was able to pull together and bring this mission to fruition, under the pressure of an immediate deadline. I think that only Arianespace, with our dual launch system and large volume of business, could have accommodated such a contract.
Via Satellite: How many contracts are you looking to win in 2007? Do you expect the number of contracts available to increase in 2008?
Le Gall: I will be very pleased if we can sign more than 12 — the number we signed last year. That said, as it stands, our order book is already at more than 40 satellites to be launched, which is a record, and twice that of any of our competitors. As well, we’ve launched 10 satellites in the last eight months, a launch tempo that is unmatched in the industry. I don’t have a crystal ball, but demand for new satellites has rebounded and stabilized to approximately 25 orders per year for the foreseeable future.
Via Satellite: What is the significance of having a number of new Soyuz and Ariane 5 launchers at your disposal?
Le Gall: Arianespace signed a preliminary order for the production of 35 new Ariane 5 launchers and it confirmed a contract with the Russian space industry for acquisition of first four Soyuz vehicles to be launched from Guiana Space Center. This tells our customers that when they sign a contract with us, they’re not just getting an empty promise: We actually have the wherewithal to launch their payloads.
Aside from the order we’ve placed for new Ariane 5 and Soyuz launchers, we’ve allocated, alongside the European Space Agency, $400 million for the Soyuz launch system at the Guiana Space Center. The launch complex is really taking shape as the launch control center and vehicle assembly buildings are now rising out of the jungle. It is a visible token that our spaceport in French Guiana is expanding to better suit the needs of satellite operators the world over.
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