Arianespace has signed eight new launch contracts since the opening of this year's Paris Air Show for a combined orderbook value totaling 600 million euros. This includes two firm contracts from an unidentified client.

Arianespace began the year with a February launch contract for Artemis, ESA's experimental telecommunications satellite. It was followed the next month by contracts for the Eutelsat e-Bird high-speed communications satellite, and the Boeing Satellite Systems-built Astra 3A for SES (Societe Europeenne des Satellites).

The pace continued last week during the Paris Air Show, with announcements of the following orders from:

• Three satellites for PanAmSat
  • Galaxy 12 (Ariane 5 or Ariane 4 at end of 2002)
  • PAS Light 2 (Ariane 5 in second half of 2003)
  • PAS Light 3 (Ariane 5 in 2004)
  
  
  
• Six-ton-class Inmarsat 4 satellites for Inmarsat (Ariane 5 in 2003/2004),
  
  
• The European Space Agency for its Rosetta comet rendezvous mission (Ariane 5 in 2003),
  
  
• Alcatel Space for Syracuse III, a French military communications satellite (Ariane 5 in 4th Quarter of 2003).

A balanced backlog of orders
Arianespace now has a record backlog of 54 payloads to be launched: 45 satellites and nine ATV missions for the International Space Station worth 4.9 billion euros and ensuring more than three years of work for Ariane launchers, in particular for the new-generation Ariane 5 heavy launcher.

This unprecedented backlog of orders, plus the diversity of payloads signed, means that Arianespace can ensure flexible management of its launch schedule to ensure the satisfaction of all customers. Arianespace will also benefit of ongoing improvements to the Ariane 5 launch vehicle, which will incorporate a new cryogenic upper stage in mid-2002 to offer geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) payload capacity of 10,000 kg.

Arianespace's healthy orderbook and the improved performance of Ariane 5 will expand the opportunities for dual satellite launches, allowing different types of satellites to be paired for launch on a single mission.

Orders on target
At the halfway point in 2001, Arianespace already is well on the way to its objective of booking 12-15 new contracts this year.

Since its creation, Arianespace has signed 242 launch contracts. Ariane vehicles have performed a total 141 missions and launched 188 satellites.

Sustained pace of operations
Arianespace carried out four launches so far this year, placing 6 communications satellites into orbit:

• Flight 137/January 10/Ariane 4/Turksat 2A (Eurasiasat 1)
• Flight 139/February 7/Ariane 4/Sicral 1 and Skynet 4F
• Flight 140/March 8/Ariane 5/Eurobird/BSAT-2a
• Flight 141/June 9/Ariane 4/Intelsat 901 (62nd successful mission in a row for Ariane 4 - a world record for commercial launches).

Seven more launches by end of the year
Four more Ariane 5 flights and three Ariane 4 missions are planned by the end of the year.

Arianespace's next launch, Flight 142, is scheduled for July 12. For this mission, an Ariane 5 will orbit the European Space Agency's Artemis experimental telecommunications satellite and the BSAT-2b direct broadcast satellite built by Orbital Sciences Corp. for the Japanese consortium B-SAT. This will be the seventh commercial mission for Europe's new heavy launcher.

Flight 143 is planned in August with the Intelsat 902 satellite on an Ariane 4. This will be followed by Flight 144 carrying Atlantic Bird 2/Insat 3C on an Ariane 5 and Flight 145 using another Ariane 5 to loft Envisat with both missions to be launched by the end of October.