The dual launch capability, putting both a small and a large satellite on Arianespace’s Ariane 5 heavy lift rocket, is key to the rocket’s profitability, according to a company spokesman.
Arianespace Vice President for Corporate Communications Jacques Denavaut told Defense Daily last week at the Satellite 2013 convention in Washington the company can store small satellites on the bottom of Ariane 5 and larger satellites with a maximum of 10 tons on top. Though Ariane 5 doesn’t need two satellites, it helps increase profits.
“Of course, we need a small satellite and a bigger satellite to have good profitability,” Denavaut said.
Arianespace said in a statement profits for 2012 were up $1.71 million compared to 2011 thanks to seven Ariane 5 launches, two Soyuz launches and one Vega launch. Soyuz is the medium-lift rocket while Vega is the lightweight launcher.
Denavaut said Arianespace is trying to develop more business in the lightweight launch market with Vega, which he said will have its second launch April 19 from the company’s spaceport in French Guiana. Vega will launch Estonia’s ESTCube-1 student satellite, a 1U-category “cubesat” sized at 10x10x10 centimeters. Weighing 1.33 kilograms (kg), its purpose is to test electric solar wind sail technologies as well as help establish an Estonian infrastructure for future space projects.
Along with ESTCube-1, Vega will also carry the Proba-V and VNREDSat-1A satellites. VNREDSat-1A weighs 120 kg and will help the Vietnamese government predict natural disasters by optimizing the country’s natural resource management. Proba-V, weighing 160 kg, will help monitor global vegetation growth.
Denavaut said Arianespace decreased its launch base fixed costs by 20 percent over a span of two years as part of an effort to reduce launch costs. Arianespace has 30 launches lined up over a span of three years, according to Denavaut.
Arianespace, a European launch consortium based in France, has shareholders from 10 different countries, with its largest being France’s space agency CNES and Astrium SAS, which is a division of European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co. (EADS).