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17 Jun 2003

Arianespace at the 2003 Paris Air Show: Update and Outlook

Le Bourget, France, June 16, 2003 - Arianespace CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall
provided an update on the company's activities during a press
conference today at the Paris Air Show.

Leadership maintained in a difficult commercial context Arianespace
successfully maintained its leadership position in the commercial
geostationary launch market during 2002 despite intensified
competition, which was made even more difficult by the increasing
scarcity of new business.

In 2002, Arianespace signed 11 launch contracts out of the total 15
competed on the world market.

The company's backlog as of June 16, 2003 was 40 satellites to be
launched (including nine missions with the Automated Transfer Vehicle
for the International Space Station). Since the creation of
Arianespace in March 1980, the company has inked orders for the
launch of a total 252 payloads. 

2002: A record operating performance

With 12 launches that placed 16 satellites in orbit during 2002,
Arianespace's operational and production levels matched the company's
highs of 1997 and 2000.

The launch campaign activity included preparations for the maiden
mission of the Ariane 5 "10-tonne" version (Flight 157), a task
requiring constant reactivity of the Arianespace industrial and
operational teams - along with those of its industrial partners.

2003: Five satellites and an interplanetary probe already orbited
Arianespace had its third successful launch in 2003 on June 11,
orbiting two telecommunications satellites.

This latest success comes two months after the previous Ariane 5
flight - which also orbited a dual-satellite payload, and less than
10 days after Starsem's successful commercial Soyuz mission with the
European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft. Prior to these
missions, the 116th and final Ariane 4 flight was performed on
February 15.

Arianespace: A competitive edge for Europe

On May 27, a ministerial-level ESA Council meeting approved the
Ariane system's consolidation and the construction of a Soyuz launch
pad at the Guiana Space Center, Europe's Spaceport. These decisions
give Arianespace the means to operate a full range of launch vehicles
that respond to all client requirements. The measures also will
enable Arianespace to consolidate its world leadership position on
the commercial launch market.

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