Arianespace Signs
Contract With Russian Space Industry for Acquisition of First Four Soyuz
Rockets to Be Launched From Guiana Space Centre
(20 June 2007) Jean-Yves Le Gall,
Chairman and CEO of Arianespace, Anatoly Perminov, Managing Director of the
Russian Space Agency Roskosmos, Alexander Kiriline, Managing Director of Samara
Space Center, Georgy Politschuk, Managing Director and Production Director of
NPO Lavotchkine, Igor. Barmine, Managing Director of KBOM, and Valery
Krekhtunov, Deputy Managing Director of TsENKI, have signed the contract for
purchase of the first four Soyuz launch vehicles to be launched from the Guiana
Space Center starting in 2009.
The contract between Arianespace
and its Russian partners provides for the delivery of four Soyuz 2 launchers
(in the configuration with three stages, a fairing, Fregat upper stage and
payload adapter), and the associated propellant and fluids. This contract also
covers launch preparations and operations, as well as maintenance of the
Russian systems at the Guiana Space Centre.
The first two launchers will
be ready for shipment to French Guiana at the end of 2008.
This contract
marks a new step in the introduction of Soyuz from the launch site in French
Guiana. Arianespace has already signed several contracts involving this new
launch system, which completes the family of launchers operated by Arianespace,
alongside Ariane 5 and Vega.
(source: Arianespace)