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17 Jun 2003

Press release
Evry, June 17, 2003

First Mars, then Venus !

15 days after the launch of Mars Express, Europe has reaffirmed its
trust in Soyuz: next stop Venus in 2005 !  Just two weeks after
having flawlessly carried out its mission to send Mars Express on its
way towards the Red Planet, the European-Russian company Starsem
reinforces its privileged relationship with the European Space Agency
with the signature of the Venus Express launch services agreement.

The contract was signed at Le Bourget (Paris) Air Show, Tuesday, June
17, 2003, by David Southwood, Director of Science for the European
Space Agency, and Jean-Marie Luton, CEO of Starsem. Yuri Koptev,
General Director of the Russian Aviation and Space Agency
Rosaviakosmos, Jean-Jacques Dordain, Director of Launchers for the
European Space Agency, and Jean-Yves Le Gall, CEO of Arianespace,
also attended the ceremony. 

The launch of Venus Express will take place in November 2005 from the
Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz launch vehicle will send
the spacecraft on its way towards our nearest planetary neighbor.

Europe's latest vote of confidence in the Soyuz continues a long
tradition of cooperation between Europe and Russia. This announcement
comes soon after the decision by European space ministers to build a
Soyuz launch pad at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

Starsem is the Soyuz Company, bringing together all key players
involved in the production, operation and international commercial
marketing of the world's most versatile launch vehicle. Shareholders
in Starsem are Arianespace, EADS, the Russian Aviation and Space
Agency and the Samara Space Center.

The Starsem manifest for Soyuz missions currently includes contracted
launches for the European Space Agency, Eumetsat and Space
Systems/Loral.

For further information,
please contact
Claire COULBEAUX
+ 33 (0) 1 69 87 01 10
communication{at}starsem.com

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