Arianespace said that it will continue to collaborate with ESA and EUSPA on the Galileo constellation programme, following the successful completion of its eleventh mission for the navigation system in early December. As part of this latest order, it will launch eight additional Galileo satellites across the 2022-2025 period, starting with two later this year on a Soyuz rocket. This will be preceded by its twelfth Galileo mission, which will take place by June, carrying satellites from a previous order.
The company has also announced a new contract awarded by Sitael, with the Italian Space Agency (ASI) as the final customer. The Vega and Vega C rockets will launch two small satellites (PLATiNO 1 and 2) by 2024, which will be suitable for a wide range of applications including earth observation.
Looking back at its 2021 missions, Arianespace said that it carried out fifteen successful launches (five more than in 2020), sending into orbit 305 satellites with its Ariane, Soyuz and Vega launchers. It has now a backlog of 36 missions for 24 different customers. Among the new contracts secured last year, it will collaborate with a start-up called Skyloom to launch the Uhura-1 satellite on a rideshare mission. The start-up will use Uhura-1 as a routing point for LEO satellites and ground stations, to offer space-borne optical data transfer network services.
Arianespace's revenues totalled more than EUR 1.25 billion in 2021, representing a 30 percent increase year-on-year. For 2022, the company’s roadmap features up to seventeen launches, including the maiden flights of Vega C and Ariane 6.
