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Feature story

European government representatives take a close-up look at the Spaceport

July 22, 2008

The launch contract for MSG-4 was signed in French Guiana by Arianespace Chairman & CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall and Lars Prahm, EUMETSAT's Director General.

Government decision-makers from throughout Europe converged on the Spaceport in French Guiana this week for a first-hand appreciation of this facility's growing role as a world-leading commercial launch site.

A total of 27 ministers and state secretaries responded to an invitation from Valérie Pecresse, the French Minister for Higher Education and Research.

Their visit included a tour of the Spaceport, along with briefings on the increasing mission rate for Arianespace's heavy-lift Ariane 5 and preparations for the future introduction of its medium-lift Soyuz and lightweight Vega launchers.

"While European space had been a relatively small 'club,' the interest of Europe's politicians has increased as the space segment grew in importance," explained Arianespace Chairman & CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall. "Many of them had a relatively out-of-date vision of what we've accomplished here, so this visit is an excellent way to see our launch site close up and in person."

The launch contract for MSG-4 was signed in French Guiana by Arianespace Chairman & CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall and Lars Prahm, EUMETSAT's Director General.

The tour included a visit to the Spaceport's Launcher Assembly Building, where an Ariane 5 is being prepared for Arianespace's August mission with the Superbird 7 and AMC-21 telecommunications satellite payloads.

Capping the stopover was Arianespace's signature of a new Service & Solutions launch contract for the MSG-4 meteorological satellite of Europe's EUMETSAT intergovernmental organization.

This second-generation spacecraft is scheduled for launch in the first half of 2013 from the Spaceport aboard an Ariane 5 or Soyuz launcher, and is the tenth satellite chosen for an Ariane launch by EUMETSAT.

The MSG-4 agreement was inked by Le Gall and Lars Prahm, EUMETSAT's Director General, and it further reinforces Arianespace's growing backlog that today represents more than three years of launch service business.