Arianespace and ArianeGroup kick off production for the final 10 Ariane 5 launchers across Europe’s space industry in parallel to the operational debut of Ariane 6
09.01.2018
ArianeGroup and its Arianespace subsidiary have announced an order for 10 Ariane 5 ECA launchers. The 10 launch vehicles covered by this “PC batch” will be deployed from the Guiana Space Center beginning in 2020, coming after the launches of 18 Ariane 5s ordered in 2013 (in the “PB+ batch”). This production order represents a total value of more than one billion euros for the European space industry, involving more than 600 companies in 12 European countries – including 350 small and medium-sized enterprises. The order’s size is aligned with the ramp-up for the next-generation Ariane 6, which is scheduled to make its first flight in mid-2020, reaching full capacity in 2023.
The decision announced today follows the commitment made by Arianespace in December 2016 to initiate the procurement of long lead items (LLI). It also allows ArianeGroup, industrial prime contractor for the development and operation of the Ariane 5 and Ariane 6 launchers – as well as its European partners (over 600 companies in 13 countries1, including some 350 small and medium-size enterprises) – to start initial production activity for these additional launchers.
This new batch also guarantees the durability for launch service offerings by the European operator Arianespace for institutional and commercial clients until the end of the transition phase with Ariane 6 – with this launcher’s full operational capacity to be reached by 2023. Ariane 5, which chalked up its 82nd successful launch in a row in December 2017, has undergone continuous performance improvements since the beginning of the Ariane 5 ECA program. As a result, Ariane 5 set a new record in June 2017 by lofting 10,865 kg. into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). From this payload lift record, Ariane 5’s performance will be increased another 250 kg. by 2020 as part of an ESA-funded program – with the PC production batch taking full advantage of the improvement.