An Ariane rocket launching into space is an impressive sight. But for the people behind the controls at Arianespace, this is business as usual.

At Arianespace headquarters in Paris, information officer Mario de Lepine calls his company “the FedEx of space,” as if projecting almost five tonnes into a precise orbit 36,000 kilometres above the Earth involves little more than sending a parcel from Europe to the United States.
But this reference to one of the leading delivery services is not unjustified. Despite the huge technical complexity of satellite launching – and the vast sums of money involved – the Ariane programme has become a delivery service to space. Ariane 4 rockets are lifting off from Kourou in French Guyana at the rate of about one a month. And satellite operators are queuing up to book places on the launches.
Arianespace began its programme in 1979. Despite competition from the Americans, Russians, Chinese and Japanese, Arianespace has cornered more than half the global market in commercial satellite launches. The joint European venture has signed more than 180 launch contracts, and the development of the next generation of launcher, Ariane 5, looks set to confirm the company’s position as a market leader.

Delivery demand
De Lepine characterises Arianespace as “a very great success” both commercially and industrially. In addition to its market share, Arianespace’s programme has resulted in significant technological advances, he says, and has created employment for more than 12,000 people through the company’s industrial shareholders in 12 European countries.
As communication technologies continue to develop, demand for satellite capacity is growing. Some 90 percent of Arianespace’s launches are for commercial satellite operators, mainly in the digital television, telephone and data transmission sectors. The remaining launches are for observation satellites or scientific missions.
Innovation in satellite applications means the scope for future development is vast. Next year Ariane is due to launch a satellite that will provide CD-quality radio across the United States. Within a few years, satellite phones will likely be available that will allow users to call and be called anywhere in the world – using the same number.
But as the technology becomes more complex, satellites are getting bigger. In response to this trend Ariane 5, which is scheduled to succeed Ariane 4 over the next three to four years, has been designed to carry a payload of 6,900 kilograms – almost 2,000 kg more than its predecessor. It is planned to increase this to more than 8,400 kg using the Ariane 5 “Evolution,” which is fitted with more powerful engines.
Arianespace is a jointly owned European company. It has three distinct areas of operation. It is the prime contractor for the industrial production and financing of the launch vehicles. It conducts the launch operations from French Guyana in South America and it is responsible for marketing satellite launch services to customers throughout the world.
The launch of an Ariane rocket is the result of precision teamwork. The slightest malfunction could spell disaster for the mission. With each launch costing in excess of 100 million U.S. dollars, the cost of failure is high. But the launch team is well honed and highly experienced. “There’s no room for emotions,” says Remy Kocher, mission director at Kourou. “The team is made up of professionals who make sure everything functions correctly.”
The Ariane 4 launcher has an impressive track record. It has completed 35 missions without a failure, which provides a persuasive marketing argument for Arianespace.
“We have a perfectly honed system that puts the satellite into a precise orbit,” says de Lepine. “We’re not cheaper than anyone else, but when we sign a contract, we know we can respect the deadline. Ariane is not Apollo or the Space Shuttle, but it’s perfectly adapted for the mission.”
However, the reliability of Ariane 4 should not mask the pitfalls of developing a commercially viable launcher in which clients can entrust a satellite worth upwards of US$250 million. The first Ariane 5 launch in 1996 was aborted 37 seconds into the flight, and the second launch in 1997 experienced some minor technical faults. However, minute analysis of each malfunction means Arianespace is confident that such problems will be eradicated before the launcher is commercially available.

Ironing out the kinks
This quest for total reliability extends to the European companies who contribute to the Ariane project. Among these is the German company MAN Technologie AG, which designed and built the ground installations for the Ariane 5 in Kourou, including the launcher assembly building, the mobile launching table and the vast final assembly building.
The Arianespace operation is built around the concept of having separate zones for assembly and for launches. This reduces the interval between launches because one rocket can be under assembly while another is undergoing final preparation for launch, which requires 12 days at the launch site.
The central body of the Ariane 5 launcher is manufactured in Europe and shipped to Kourou by container. There it is assembled and the boosters that provide the necessary thrust to escape the Earth’s gravity are attached to its flanks. The towering structure is transported to the final assembly building, where the payload is incorporated into the head of the rocket. Once completed, the rocket is carefully hauled on the launch table along a rail track for a distance of some 2,000 metres to the launch site – a process that requires the entire launch table and rocket to be raised off the ground by a hydraulic system. This system uses linkages with SKF bearings. Once final preparations are made, the countdown begins. At zero, the Vulcain engine fires into life, followed by the powder boosters which send out torrents of flame and smoke. The launch phase is completed in less than half an hour. Ariane reaches a velocity of 9.8 kilometres per second before positioning its cargo into the chosen geostationary orbit.
Ariane 4 is scheduled to be phased out over the next three to four years as the Ariane 5 programme finds its rhythm. By 2004, the new launch vehicle could be making up to 14 flights a year, some of them carrying a payload of two satellites. And if all goes according to plan, Arianespace looks set to maintain its strong market position well into the next century.

Charles Masters
a journalist based in Paris