Russia's Soyuz to Launch from Kourou in Arianespace Move
Launches are planned by Arianespace from early 2006 of Russia's
Starsem Soyuz rocket vehicle from Europe's Spaceport in French
Guiana, instead of its usual Baikonur Cosmodrome site in Kazakhstan.
This followed a May 27 ministerial-level ESA Council meeting approving
the Ariane system's consolidation and construction of a launch
pad at the Kourou site. The meeting allocated 314 million euros
($367.4 million) for the necessary construction, which Arianespace
CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall said at Le Bourget yesterday would help
to expand the range of available launch vehicles from this site,
to respond to all client requirements.
With the additional May 27 decision to return the heavy-lift Ariane
5 launch rocket to service following its failure last December,
and upcoming introduction of the Vega small launcher, Arianespace
will be able to offer a complete range of vehicles in 2006-07.
Soyuz operation from Kourou, said Le Gall, would be good for the
constitutional and geostationary satellite launch markets.
Arianespace maintained its leadership position in these markets
during 2002, despite intensified competition, made even more difficult
by the increasing scarcity of new business. In 2002, Arianespace
signed 11 launch contracts from a total of 15 contested on the
world market. As of June 16, the company's backlog was 40 satellites
awaiting launch, including nine missions with the Automated Transfer
Vehicle for the International Space Station. Since its March 1980
creation, Arianespace has confirmed orders for 252 launch payloads.
