The Board of Directors of Arianespace met on Monday, 22 March 2010 in Evry, near Paris. It congratulated the company on its technical performance and record order book, and decided to give it the resources needed for development by bolstering its financial structure.
Technical performance
With 35 successful launches in a row and seven years without a failure, Ariane 5 continues to confirm its technical and operational maturity, launch after launch. Arianespace set a new record with this launcher in 2009, carrying out seven launches in a calendar year to orbit nine commercial satellites and three European governmental satellites.
This launch rate will continue in 2010. During the year, the Ariane 5 launcher will be joined by Vega and Soyuz, which will be launched from the Guiana Space Center for the first time, during the second half of the year.
Record order book
Since being founded, Arianespace has signed more than 300 launch Service and Solutions contracts (including four new contracts to date in 2010), and has launched 277 satellites for 76 customers, accounting for more than half of all commercial satellites now in orbit.
Arianespace’s order book now stands at 4.3 B euros , an all-time record, and includes 33 satellites to be launched into geostationary orbit, six Ariane 5 launches for the ATV (Automated Transfer Vehicle, which brings supplies to the International Space Station), and 17 Soyuz launches.
Strengthened financial structure
Arianespace posted 2009 sales of 1 029.3 M euros . The Board of Directors has decided to bolster the company’s financial structure to give it the resources needed for development, by proposing a capital increase to the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, after having posted a technical loss for the year of 71.2 M euros , related to the discharge of provisions for technical and commercial risks
