Arianespace
Encyclopedia
Arianespace SA is a French
company founded in 1980 as the world's first commercial space transportation company. It undertakes the production, operation, and marketing of the Ariane 5
rocket launcher as part of the Ariane
programme.. Two other launch systems are offered by the company, the Soyuz-2 as a medium-lift alternative to Ariane 5, and the Vega as a lighter one.
, Arianespace held more than 50 percent of the world market for boosting satellites to geostationary transfer orbit
(GTO). More than 240 commercial launches have occurred since May 22, 1984, and Arianespace states that the total number of launch contracts signed since Ariane launches commenced operations in 1984 is 285. Arianespace uses the Centre Spatial Guyanais
as a launch site. It has its headquarters in Courcouronnes
, Essonne
, France
, near Évry.
Total of 99.99% due to round-off
Corporate management is structured as follows:
Offices
As of 1 January 2010, Arianespace employed 323 people at its French headquarters, at its launch complex at the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana
, and at offices in Singapore
, Tokyo
, and Washington, D.C.
launch vehicle
:
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
company founded in 1980 as the world's first commercial space transportation company. It undertakes the production, operation, and marketing of the Ariane 5
Ariane 5
Ariane 5 is, as a part of Ariane rocket family, an expendable launch system used to deliver payloads into geostationary transfer orbit or low Earth orbit . Ariane 5 rockets are manufactured under the authority of the European Space Agency and the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales...
rocket launcher as part of the Ariane
Ariane (rocket)
Ariane is a series of a European civilian expendable launch vehicles for space launch use. The name comes from the French spelling of the mythological character Ariadne....
programme.. Two other launch systems are offered by the company, the Soyuz-2 as a medium-lift alternative to Ariane 5, and the Vega as a lighter one.
, Arianespace held more than 50 percent of the world market for boosting satellites to geostationary transfer orbit
Geostationary transfer orbit
A geosynchronous transfer orbit or geostationary transfer orbit is a Hohmann transfer orbit used to reach geosynchronous or geostationary orbit....
(GTO). More than 240 commercial launches have occurred since May 22, 1984, and Arianespace states that the total number of launch contracts signed since Ariane launches commenced operations in 1984 is 285. Arianespace uses the Centre Spatial Guyanais
Centre Spatial Guyanais
The Guiana Space Centre or, more commonly, Centre Spatial Guyanais is a French spaceport near Kourou in French Guiana. Operational since 1968, it is particularly suitable as a location for a spaceport due to its proximity to the equator, and that launches are in a favourable direction over water...
as a launch site. It has its headquarters in Courcouronnes
Courcouronnes
Courcouronnes is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris, in the "new town" of Évry Ville Nouvelle, created in the 1960s.-Economy:...
, Essonne
Essonne
Essonne is a French department in the region of Île-de-France. It is named after the Essonne River.It was formed on 1 January 1968 when Seine-et-Oise was split into smaller departments.- History :...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, near Évry.
The company and its infrastructure
Arianespace has 24 shareholders from 10 European countries, including:- CNESCNESThe is the French government space agency . Established under President Charles de Gaulle in 1961, its headquarters are located in central Paris and it is under the supervision of the French Ministries of Defence and Research...
(34%) - EADSEADSThe European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company N.V. is a global pan-European aerospace and defence corporation and a leading defence and military contractor worldwide...
(30%)Country Shareholders Capital 7 60.12% 2 18.62% 2 9.36% 3 3.15% 2 2.51% 2 2.30% 3 2.01% 1 1.82% 1 0.10% 1 not significant
Total of 99.99% due to round-off
Corporate management is structured as follows:
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| CEO & Chairman | Jean-Yves Le Gall Jean-Yves Le Gall Jean-Yves Le Gall is an engineering graduate from the École supérieure d'optique and holds a doctorate in engineering from the Paris-Sud University..... |
| Quality Vice-President | Gérard Gradel |
| Senior Vice-President of Programs | Laurent Louis |
| Senior Vice-President of Marketing | Jacques Breton |
| General Secretary, Senior Vice-President of Finances | Jean-Max Puech |
| Senior Vice-President of Engineering | Édouard Perez |
Offices
| Location of Office | Head of Branch |
|---|---|
| Évry, France | Jean-Yves Le Gall Jean-Yves Le Gall Jean-Yves Le Gall is an engineering graduate from the École supérieure d'optique and holds a doctorate in engineering from the Paris-Sud University..... |
| United States | Clayton Mowry |
| Tokyo Tokyo , ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family... , Japan |
Jean-Louis Claudon |
| Singapore | Richard Bowles |
As of 1 January 2010, Arianespace employed 323 people at its French headquarters, at its launch complex at the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana
French Guiana
French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west...
, and at offices in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, and Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Ariane launch vehicles
Since the first launch in 1979, there have been several versions of the ArianeAriane (rocket)
Ariane is a series of a European civilian expendable launch vehicles for space launch use. The name comes from the French spelling of the mythological character Ariadne....
launch vehicle
Launch vehicle
In spaceflight, a launch vehicle or carrier rocket is a rocket used to carry a payload from the Earth's surface into outer space. A launch system includes the launch vehicle, the launch pad and other infrastructure....
:
- Ariane 1Ariane 1Ariane 1 is the first version of the Ariane launcher family. Ariane 1 was designed primarily to put two telecommunications satellites at a time into orbit, thus reducing costs. As the size of the satellites grew Ariane 1 gave way to the more powerful Ariane 2 and Ariane 3 launchers.- Vehicle...
, first successful launch on December 24, 1979 - Ariane 2Ariane 2 and Ariane 3Ariane 3 was a European expendable carrier rocket, which was used for eleven launches between 1984 and 1989. It was a member of the Ariane family of rockets, derived from the Ariane 2, although it flew before this...
, first successful launch on November 20, 1987 (the first launch on May 30, 1986 failed) - Ariane 3Ariane 2 and Ariane 3Ariane 3 was a European expendable carrier rocket, which was used for eleven launches between 1984 and 1989. It was a member of the Ariane family of rockets, derived from the Ariane 2, although it flew before this...
, first successful launch on August 4, 1984 - Ariane 4Ariane 4Ariane 4 was an expendable launch system, designed by the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales and manufactured and marketed by its subsidiary Arianespace. Ariane 4 was justly known as the ‘workhorse’ of the Ariane family. Since its first flight on 15 June 1988 until the last, on 15 February 2003, it...
, first successful launch on June 15, 1988 - Ariane 5Ariane 5Ariane 5 is, as a part of Ariane rocket family, an expendable launch system used to deliver payloads into geostationary transfer orbit or low Earth orbit . Ariane 5 rockets are manufactured under the authority of the European Space Agency and the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales...
, first successful launch on October 30, 1997 (the first launch on June 4, 1996 failed).