WASHINGTON -- The newly appointed president of delay-plagued Arianespace said Tuesday that the company’s
Ariane 4 and Ariane 5 rockets will be launched on schedule for the rest of the year.
"The Ariane 5 will go off September 15 and there will be two more
Ariane 5 launches the rest of the year," Leo Mondale said in an interview with SPACE.com.
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Minnesota-born Mondale, 41, is the nephew of former Vice President Walter "Fritz" Mondale. He came on board to manage the French launch company’s U.S. sales, marketing and customer relations last month.
An Ariane 4 is scheduled to go off August 17 carrying Egypt's Nilesat 102 and Brazil's Brazilsat B-4. But there is no set schedule for the rocket for the rest of the year, Mondale said.
The gradual phaseout of Ariane 4 in the coming three years will make for a smooth transition for the Ariane 5 rocket.
The heavy-lift Ariane 5 booster had been scheduled for liftoff on July 25, launching the Astra 2-B satellite for Luxembourg's Societe Europeenne des Satellites (SES) and the GE 7 satellite for U.S. operator GE Americom. It was delayed due to problems with the attitude control system -- two sets of three thrusters installed to counteract roll during launch.
Mondale downplayed the delay, saying, "Any new vehicle is going to have delays because reliability and reputation is so important."
High stakes
Indeed,
Arianespace has a lot at stake. A commercial flop of its expensive Ariane 5 rocket could endanger the whole European space program. The 14-nation European Space Agency and the 12 participating countries have hedged potential disaster by investing $9 billion over 12 years in the Ariane 5 program
So far, Arianespace launchers have had a 96.9-percent reliability rate. And, the company is confident that it will remain the number-one producer of launchers for communications satellites.
"The challenge is within the realm of the doable," Mondale said. "It’s just a matter of refinement and efficiency."
New booster challenge
In addition to possible failures, Arianespace faces competition from such new boosters as Sea
Launch, which has tried to win business by bidding under the prices that Arianespace charges for its
workhorse Ariane 4 and Ariane 5 launchers.
But Arianespace has tried to control costs by using a dual-launch capability -- lifting two medium-to-large-size satellites into orbit with a single launch.
The company plans to continue this strategy in the years to come.
"Our prediction is that this is an excellent cost advantage," Mondale said. "It is a commercial decision we made a while ago and we will not back off it."
Mondale came from mobile satellite service company
Iridium. After holding a number of top-level posts, including chief financial officer, he announced his resignation September 1, less than a month after Iridium filed for Chapter 11-bankruptcy court protection.
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