France has committed €25 million to the upgrade of the Ariane 5 launcher.
The funding comes under France’s Investment Program for the Future (Programme d’Investissements d’Avenir, or PIA).
As part of the upgrade 2 metres in payload height will be added to Arianespace launch customers, without a performance penalty.
The upgrade, scheduled for implementation in 2015, is designed to address the current trend in geostationary telecommunications satellites, which are gradually becoming larger as their power and complexity both increase.
Arianespace Chairman and CEO Stéphane Israël said: “There is a tremendous amount at stake for the launcher industry, which counts over 10,000 employees in France and in Europe. Ariane 5 ECA is already the most reliable launcher on the market, and this upgrade will also increase its competitiveness in the near future.”
As of September 4, 2013, Arianespace had carried out a total of 215 Ariane launches, 31 Soyuz launches (five at the Guiana Space Center and 26 at Baikonur via Starsem) and two Vega launches. Arianespace has a backlog of 19 Ariane 5, 10 Soyuz and four Vega launches, equaling three years of business.