Arianespace and Astrium  signed an initial agreement on 17 September to begin the production of 18  additional Ariane 5 ECA launchers.

As part of this agreement,  Arianespace has ordered from Astrium,  long-lead items and the start of production activities for the 18 additional  launchers. These items and the first production activities are valued at more  than 400 million euros. Astrium and Arianespace plan to sign the full  production contract for the additional launchers before the end of 2013.

These additional 18 Ariane  5s should be launched from 2017 onwards, following on from the 35 launchers  ordered in 2009 (PB batch).

Present at the signing were  Stéphane Israël, Arianespace Chairman and CEO and Alain Charmeau, CEO of  Astrium Space Transportation.

This order takes the number  of Ariane 5 launchers in production for Arianespace to 38, and guarantees the  continued provision of launch services for the European operator’s customers at  the Guiana Space Centre through to the end of the decade.

Stéphane Israël said:  “Ariane 5 is the most reliable launcher in the world. We need to secure the  future production for our customers, beyond the 20 launchers currently being  built, which is why we are ordering long-lead items for a further batch of 18  launchers. My thanks to Astrium and the European space industry for this  exceptional launcher. My thanks also to the shareholders of Arianespace, and in  particular to the French Space Agency CNES, for this vote of confidence in the  future.”

“This agreement enables  Astrium, which has been prime contractor for Ariane 5 since 2003, to ensure the  continuity of production beyond 2017,” explained Alain Charmeau, CEO of Astrium  Space Transportation. “It also guarantees the continuity of the entire  industrial production chain which comprises 550 companies (of which 20% are  SMEs) and 6,000 people across 12 European countries.”

Arianespace is the world  leader in its sector and its order book represents more than three years of  work, which represents 4 billion euros in value.

Astrium, the number one  company in Europe for space technologies and the second in the world, is the  sole prime contractor of Ariane 5 and provides Arianespace with complete  launchers that are tested and integrated at the Guiana Space Centre. Astrium  also manages all the contracts of the industrial partners in the Ariane  programme’s 12 partner countries.

Arianespace press release