In Brief : Europe to Buy 50 Space Vehicles
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PARIS — Arianespace, Europe’s commercial space transport company, plans to order 50 Ariane-4 launch vehicles worth about $3 billion from its industrial partners next month, it was announced today.
The Ariane-4 rockets will be used to put satellites into orbit between 1991 and 1999.
France’s state-owned Aerospatiale SA is one of the major partners in the Ariane-4 project with a 20.4% share. Other major partners include state-controlled Societe Europeenne de Propulsion and Matra SA with shares of 21.1% and 8.7% respectively and MAN and ERNO of West Germany with 9.3% and 5.1% respectively.
Smaller contractors include British Aerospace and Ferranti of Britain, Volvo AB of Sweden, Air Liquide of France, Fabrique Nationale of Belgium, SNIA and Aeritalia of Italy, Fokker of the Netherlands and Construcciones Aeronauticas SA of Spain.
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