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Aviation Week and Space Technology's article

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Haignere said that among the measures approved, France would increase its contribution to ESA undertakings from 640 million euros per year currently to 685 million euros ($740 million) over the 2003-09 period. A significant portion of the additional money will be targeted at launch initiatives such as the Ariane 5 EC-A back-to-flight plan, the EGAS Ariane public support program and installation of a Soyuz launch pad at Europe's Kourou, French Guiana, spaceport.

Arianespace CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall estimated that EC-A, EGAS and the cost of covering losses incurred by keeping the basic Ariane 5 G launcher in operation two years longer than planned would easily surpass 1 billion euros (AW&ST Apr. 14, p. 19). Haignere ventured that the so-called Soyuz-in-Kourou project--part of a broader cooperation pact with Russia that is to include reusable launch vehicles (AW&ST Apr. 14, p. 80)--would cost an additional 200-314 million euros.

She declined to specify how much France would devote to Soyuz-in-Kourou, except to say that it would be "a lot." These initiatives are to be submitted for approval at an ESA ministerial summit on May 27.

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