Ariane celebrates 25th anniversary

[BGonaSTICK]

On June 19, 1981, Europe’s Ariane launcher orbited the Indian experimental satellite Apple, built by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). Since then, Arianespace, ISRO and French space agency CNES have developed an exemplary space partnership, forging commercial, government and industrial alliances.

To celebrate this 25th anniversary, a symposium on French-Indian collaboration in space has been organized in Paris for June 16.

Within the scope of this cooperation, ISRO and Arianespace have signed thirteen launch contracts to date. Since the first launch in June 1981, eleven other satellites have been successfully launched by Ariane rockets from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. Arianespace also has a 13th satellite in its order book, Insat 4B, scheduled for launch in the first quarter of 2007.