EADS ASTRIUM SpA

Astrium, a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS, is dedicated to providing civil and defence space systems and services. In 2008, Astrium had a turnover of €4.3 billion and more than 15,000 employees in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands. Its three main areas of activity are Astrium Space Transportation for launchers and orbital infrastructure, Astrium Satellites for spacecraft and ground segment and its wholly owned subsidiary Astrium Services for the development and delivery of satellite services.
EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2008, EADS generated revenues of €43.3 billion and employed a workforce of more than 118, 000.The Space Transportation division is the European specialist for space transportation and orbital infrastructures. The division develops and manufactures the Ariane family of launchers, the Columbus laboratory and the Automated Transfer Vehicle ATV supply vessel for the International Space Station (ISS), atmospheric re-entry vehicles, missiles for France’s nuclear deterrent force, propulsion systems and space equipment.
The Satellites division is the European specialist in satellite systems. Its activities encompass complete telecommunication systems for civil and military use, Earth observation systems, navigation programmes, avionics and space equipment.
Astrium Services offers a unique ‘one-stop shop’ in the satellite services market, with unrivalled capability and expertise in secure communications, Earth observation services and navigation services. The European provider of milsatcom services, including the pioneering Skynet 5 service, and a world-leading supplier of geo-information products and services, Astrium Services meets its customers' requirements with innovative and highly competitive end-to-end solutions.
Astrium also relies on the services of its specialist subsidiaries to fulfil its role in the major space programmes and as a satellite service provider: EADS Sodern, for optronics and space equipment;
CILAS, for laser technologies and high-precision optics.
Astrium offers launch services through its shareholdings in Arianespace (Ariane 5 vehicle), Starsem (Soyuz vehicle) and Eurockot (Rockot vehicle). The company also provides satellite telecommunications and Earth observation services through wholly owned subsidiaries such as Infoterra or joint ventures such as Spot Image.
The launchers
Astrium is committed to providing Europe with independent access to space by consolidating its position as the leading European provider of commercial launch services, and to laying the foundations for a new generation of launch vehicles.
Astrium Space Transportation is the sole prime contractor for the Ariane 5 system. The company is thus also responsible for co-ordinating the work of subcontractors and delivering the fully assembled and tested launch vehicles to Arianespace, which manages and markets the launch operations.
Astrium Space Transportation supplies all stages of the Ariane 5 rocket as well as the vehicle equipment bay, flight software and numerous subassemblies.
In addition to the batch of 30 Ariane 5 launchers ordered in 2004, Arianespace signed in January 2009 a contract concerning the production of 35 Ariane 5 launchers.
Astrium Space Transportation is prime contractor for the strategic missiles M45 and M51 for the French nuclear deterrent force. The 2 first flight tests of the M51 were made successfully in November 2006 and June 2007.
Astrium Space Transportation is the majority shareholder in the Paris-based European-Russian joint venture Starsem, which commercialises the Russian Soyuz launcher. The Rockot launcher is a further example of co-operation between Russia and Europe: it is operated by Eurockot Launch Services, a joint venture between Astrium Space Transportation (51%) and the Khrunichev Space Center.
Human spaceflight: contributions to the International Space Station (ISS)
The ISS is one of the largest-ever science and technology programmes to be undertaken as an international co-operative venture. Under contract to ESA, Astrium Space Transportation is the leading European contributor to this ambitious programme.
In its role as prime contractor to ESA, Astrium Space Transportation was responsible for developing and manufacturing the Columbus laboratory, Europe’s most significant contribution to the ISS, which was launched to the ISS in February 2008 on board the Shuttle.
The Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), the most complex European spacecraft ever built, developed and manufactured by Astrium Space Transportation, is the logistics spacecraft that will be used to transport supplies of fuel, food, water and scientific equipment to the ISS. The first ATV flight model, named Jules Verne, was launched in March 2008 on an Ariane 5 in 2008.
Exploration of the solar system
The prime objective of the first stage of ESA’s Aurora exploration programme is to create a European basis for a long-term project for robotic and human missions to explore our solar system. Astrium Space Transportation is currently working on the definition of specifications for the programme’s flagship missions including the ExoMars rover and the Mars Sample Return (MSR).

SATELLITES
Telecommunication satellites
Astrium Satellites is a world leader in the design and manufacture of satellites for mobile and landline telecommunication networks, direct broadcasting of TV and radio services and a number of other related applications. Astrium Satellites offers its customers a complete range of expertise in all areas of satellite communications: from system design, satellite manufacturing, launch services and insertion into orbit, to the management of entire ground infrastructures and telecommunication networks.
To date, orders have been received for 53 Eurostar satellites, and the 38 satellites launched since 1990 have set up an excellent record in terms of reliability and quality of service. With 8 commercial geostationary telecommunication satellites won in 2007, Astrium is the world leader in terms of orders and holds more than a third of the world market.
Earth observation satellites
In the Earth observation sector, Astrium Satellites designs and manufactures an extremely diversified range of platforms, along with optical instruments and ground-segment equipment for all types of applications, operating modes and remote-sending data services. Astrium Satellites is the only company in this market to supply a complete range of satellite formats (micro-satellites, mini-satellites and high-resolution satellites). Its new generation of Earth observation satellites has even found customers in the export markets of the Far East and North Africa (Algeria).
Global navigation satellites
Galileo, the European satellite navigation system, will ultimately consist of a constellation of 30 satellites in a circular orbit. Astrium Satellites plays a major role in the conceptual design of the system and its implementation.
Scientific programmes
Astrium Satellites is the prime contractor for spacecraft utilised in ESA’s major scientific programmes: SOHO, Cluster II, the XMM-Newton telescope and Rosetta. Astrium Satellites was also the prime contractor for the Mars Express and Venus Express projects, Aeolus, LISA Pathfinder, GAIA and Bepi Colombo, which will be launched in the coming years.

SERVICES
Astrium Services
Astrium Services offers a unique ‘one-stop shop’ in the satellite services market, with unrivalled capability and expertise in secure communications, Earth observation services and navigation services. The European provider of milsatcom services, including the pioneering Skynet 5 service, and a world-leading supplier of geo-information products and services, Astrium Services meets its customers' requirements with innovative and highly competitive end-to-end solutions. The Skynet 5 fleet has three satellites in orbit, Skynet 5A, 5B and 5C, launched in March 2007, November 2007 and June 2008 respectively.

Press contacts:
Matthieu Duvelleroy (Astrium FR) Phone: +33 (0) 1 77 75 80 32
Jeremy Close (Astrium UK) Phone: +44 (0)1 438 77 3872
Mathias Pikelj (Astrium (GER) Phone: +49 (0)7545 8 9123
Francisco Lechón (Astrium SP) Phone: +34 91 586 37 41

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