Arianespace reaffirmed the company’s support of Japanese operators

 

Pictured from left to right, Arianespace’s Japan Representative Kiyoshi Takamatsu, Chairman & CEO Stéphane Israël and Senior Vice President, Sales & Customers, Jacques Breton sit next to models of the company’s full launcher family (from left to right: Vega, Ariane 5 and Soyuz) at a press event held during Arianespace Japan Week 2013.

Tokyo, Japan
May 20-21, 2013

Arianespace Chairman & CEO Stéphane Israël reaffirmed the company’s support of Japanese operators and continued global leadership in launch services at a press event and reception held during Arianespace Japan Week 2013.

Arianespace’s Japanese outreach also provided an opportunity to introduce Israël to partners in the market, as his Tokyo trip commenced the first major international customer visits since his appointment to lead Arianespace in April.

Chairman & CEO Stéphane Israël speaks to customers, government officials and partners during the company’s May 21 reception held in Tokyo as part of Arianespace Japan Week 2013.

“Japan is where we have our most loyal customers and friends, and is also an important partner for Arianespace,” Israël said at the reception. “The commitment of Arianespace to Japan will not change. This is primarily a pledge to our Japanese customers, but similarly, to my predecessors, I will also do my best to further enhance the partnership of Arianespace, France and Europe with Japan, so that we all prosper in the highly competitive commercial market.”

Earlier at a presentation for journalists, Israël – who was joined by Jacques Breton, Arianespace’s Senior Vice President, Sales & Customers, and Kiyoshi Takamatsu, the Japan Representative for Arianespace – highlighted the company’s full range of launch operations and partnerships with Japan.

Since opening its Tokyo office in 1986, Israël said Arianespace’s relationships with Japanese operators have been based on mutual trust – represented by the company winning 27 out of 36 launch contracts open for competition in the market.

Arianespace’s 27-year presence in Japan is highlighted by a number of successful partnerships including: Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation (B-SAT), which has chosen Arianespace for launch of all seven of its satellites; and SKY Perfect JSAT, which continued its relationship with Arianespace into the future with a multi-launch services agreement signed last year. In addition, Arianespace has launched Superbird-7 and ST-2 – both built by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation – the LDREX-1 and LDREX-2 antenna reflector experiments for Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and partnered with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to offer reciprocal launch services for Ariane 5 and H-IIA vehicles.

Israël also cited the full range of services from Arianespace’s family of launchers – Vega, Soyuz and Ariane 5 – operating from the Spaceport in French Guiana that have enabled Arianespace to become the world reference in orbiting satellites for science, Earth monitoring, security and communications applications.