EADS Astrium, the European satellite manufacturer, is enjoying a strong 2006 based on winning high-profile satellite contracts from operators, including Arabsat and Eutelsat among others.

Antoine Bouvier, EADS Astrium’s CEO, told Satellite Today that the operator was on course to eclipse its previous year’s performance. “In 2005, EADS Astrium produced 1.8 billion euros ($2.0 billion) in revenues. We are budgeting for a higher level of sales in 2006. In terms of orders, we are already significantly ahead compared with last year,” he said.

An exclusive interview with Bouvier can be found in the Oct. 2 issue of Satellite News. For more information about subscribing to Access Intelligence‘s satellite newsletters, visit the Web site at https://www.satellitetoday.com