October 24, 2011

With the successful first launch of a Soyuz from the Guiana Space Center on October 21, Soyuz, Starsem and Arianespace opened a new chapter in the history of space – as well as in the history of a venture that is successful, asserts itself, and above all, is open to partnerships and alliances.

We have come a long way indeed since the late 1990s, when the studies on launching Soyuz from the Guiana Space Center first kicked off. We have overcome many challenges in the meantime, and I am delighted to see that this ambitious project finally has come to fruition. 

I therefore would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who worked so diligently to prepare for this launch, who contributed to the initial design studies on the launch pad, built it, planned the mission, and made sure that the launch was performed on time. I am, of course, referring to our shareholders and our own staff, but also to the European Space Agency, the CNES and all our partners from the space industries in Europe and Russia.

Thanks to all of them, Soyuz is now a pivotal part of the collaboration between France, Europe and Russia – a joint undertaking that will clearly benefit all of the stakeholders in this project.

In closing, I once again would like to congratulate everybody involved. We will be meeting again in December for the next two Soyuz launches: one carried out by Starsem in Baikonur and the other by Arianespace at the Guiana Space Center.

Jean-Yves Le Gall
Chairman & CEO
Arianespace/Starsem