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Soyuz May 15, 2012

Success of the 1,787th launch of Soyuz

The 1,787th flight of a Soyuz launch vehicle was performed on Tuesday, 15 May 2012 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 07:01 Moscow time (05:01 Paris time).

Arianespace and its Russian partners report that the Soyuz TMA-04M manned transport spacecraft was accurately placed on the target orbit for another mission to the International Space Station. This was the third Soyuz family mission in 2012.

With the introduction of Soyuz at the Guiana Space Center (CSG) and its successful historic launch on 21 October 2011, this famed Russian medium-class launch vehicle became an integral part of the European launch vehicle fleet, together with the heavy-lift Ariane 5 and the lightweight Vega. Offered to the commercial market, the Soyuz in French Guiana is Europe’s reference medium-class launch vehicle for governmental and commercial missions.

About Arianespace

Arianespace is the world’s leading launch service & solutions company, providing innovation to its customers since 1980. Backed by 21 shareholders and the European Space Agency, Arianespace offers an international workforce renowned for a culture of commitment and excellence. As of 1st May 2012, Arianespace had performed 205 Ariane launches (299 payloads), 26 Soyuz launches (2 at the Guiana Space Center and 24 at Baikonur with Starsem) and the first launch of Vega. It has a backlog of 23 Ariane 5, 15 Soyuz and 2 Vega launches, equal to more than three years of business.

Soyuz April 27, 2012

Launch Starsem ST25 – Metop-B

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