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Our commitment is based on four essential pillars, namely personalized support, close contact, flexibility and tailor-made solutions. Each of these pillars embodies our expertise and dedication to providing optimized launch solutions that are tailored to the specific needs of each customer, ensuring that every space mission is successful.

Each launch mission is planned and executed to ensure its success. We provide comprehensive personalized support for our customers from the moment the contract is signed to the moment the satellite is placed in orbit. To ensure our institutional and commercial customers are able to complete their space missions successfully, the Arianespace financial department assists in obtaining the financing required for their launch campaign and in selecting insurance to protect their satellite until it is placed in orbit.

Once the contract has been signed, a project manager is appointed as the single point of contact for the customer. They respond to all questions, coordinate contractual activities in accordance with the specifications (SoW), and ensure compliance with the launch schedule. They also support the customer in resolving any problems encountered during the assignment and provide assistance throughout the launch campaign, ensuring smooth communication and effective project management.

Both a preliminary and a final mission analysis are carried out. These analyses confirm that the satellite is compatible with the launcher and identify points requiring further investigation. The project manager and their customer conduct these analyses to ensure that the satellite is perfectly compatible with the launcher environment. Our experts carry out in-depth studies and make any adjustments required, ensuring the safety and reliability of the project.

The mission specification is drawn up to generate the final analyses and the flight program. This document is essential to ensure the technical requirements are aligned with the mission objectives. Our experts run multiple simulations to identify the best launch combinations to match the needs of all our customers. This stage is crucial to optimizing resources.

Once the compatibility tests are validated, Arianespace will handle the construction of the mission-specific adapter, a support structure that interfaces with the satellite. This adapter is designed according to the size, mass, and format of the satellite, as well as the type of launch (dedicated, piggyback or rideshare). For multiple separations, the PAD (Payload Adapter) is built according to the position of the satellites, ensuring seamless, secure integration.

About a year before launch, representatives from Arianespace, CNES, the CSG and the customer meet at the Guiana Space Center in Kourou to conduct a “Site Survey”. This stage involves a tour of the facilities, an assessment of the strengths and limitations of the site, and validation of the operations plan ahead of the launch. These meticulous preparations are punctuated by several coordination meetings involving the customer, to ensure that all the conditions are in place for a successful launch based on the specific requirements of the mission.

Arianespace produces a satellite compatibility file for the launcher environment, covering all aspects of integration and mission constraints to ensure that the satellite can withstand launch conditions. Several months before the launch, the project managers finalize satellite data to validate the final launcher configuration with technical experts, ensuring that integration is compliant.

One month before the launch, Arianespace finalizes the campaign schedule, satellite and launcher constraints, as well as operations at the Kourou base. The campaign manager hosts all participants to confirm the safety tasks and the final flight plan. Each stage is meticulously monitored to ensure that all the conditions are optimized for a successful launch into orbit.

Arianespace provides full logistical support for transporting the satellite to the Guiana Space Center (CSG), including transport coordination, customs clearance and on-site logistics. Our experts supervise every stage, from the production plant through to integration under the launcher fairing, ensuring a smooth and safe transition to the CSG. This logistics support is vital to the smooth execution of the mission and customer satisfaction. The payloads are placed in ISO (International Organization for Standardization) containers and can be transported in an Antonov aircraft by IATA (International Air Transport Association) qualified technicians or using the Canopée cargo ship, where technicians can perform maintenance operations using appropriate equipment throughout the journey.

The day after launch, Arianespace presents the customer with the flight results obtained from the launcher telemetry systems. This stage demonstrates the success of the mission by providing precise data on the performance of the launch and the placement of the satellite in orbit. One to two months after the launch, the project manager provides a post-launch evaluation file with details of launch compliance and any anomalies detected, ensuring total transparency and enriching feedback.

The launch of the James Webb Space Telescope posed a number of challenges for the Arianespace teams, not least of which was the precision required to inject it into its mission orbit at the Lagrange 2 point. To ensure the precise injection of the JWST into its mission orbit, our teams worked with ESA and NASA, adapting the Ariane 5 fairing to the satellite’s volume, so as to optimize its storage and separation. Meticulous calculations were made right up to the last minute to adjust the flight parameters, reducing disruption and saving fuel, to ensure the satellite was placed in optimum orbit.

Deploying a constellation of satellites like OneWeb requires regular and precise injections to ensure the network is fully operational. Each satellite needs to be precisely positioned to ensure the continuity and efficiency of the satellite formation. To deploy the OneWeb constellation, Arianespace scheduled monthly launches capable of placing up to 36 satellites in orbit on every launch, using the SMART dispenser system. These launches were made from the Guiana Space Centre (CSG). A dedicated team of technicians from Eutelsat and Arianespace was created to overcome every constraint and ensure the constellation was deployed under the best possible conditions. This organization has enabled us to maintain a steady pace of launches and respond effectively to the logistical and technical challenges.

Galileo is Europe’s flagship space program. Three launches were carried out using the specially adapted version of Ariane 5ES. The Arianespace team of Galileo specialists put in a great deal of expertise at all levels, on both the launcher and satellites, to ensure successful flights in this launcher format.