Stephane Israel, Chairman and CEO of Arianespace, participated in the 6th European Conference on Space Policy, which took place in Brussels on January 28. He thanked the European Commissions for expressing their trust in the company by choosing Arianespace launch services for two emblematic programs, Galileo and Copernicus.

Since the Treaty of Lisbon, the European Union has asked the European Commission to define and apply the EU's space policy.

As a user and beneficiary of space technologies, the European Union conducts two flagship programs in which Arianespace plays major roles:

+ Galileo, a global satellite navigation system under European civilian control. The first four satellites in this constellation were orbited by two Soyuz rockets launched by Arianespace from the Guiana Space Center (CSG) in French Guiana in 2011 and 2012. The next 14 satellites will be orbited by Soyuz and Ariane 5 launchers in 2014 and 2015.

+ The Copernicus program, previously known as GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security), covers a broad spectrum of missions concerning both environmental protection and the security of European citizens. The launch of the first spacecraft in this program (Sentinel 1A) is scheduled for March 28, using a Soyuz rocket from the Guiana Space Center.

"I would like to thank the European Commission for honoring us with their trust by choosing our launch services for two vital programs for European citizens, namely Galileo and Copernicus," said Stephane Israel, Chairman and CEO of Arianespace.

"The three launchers used for the deployment of these two programs, Ariane, Soyuz and Vega, show that Arianespace's family of launch vehicles is perfectly suited to providing independent access to space for Europe. Arianespace is fully committed to providing the best possible service to the European Union, which is now our leading governmental customer, via contracts awarded through the European Space Agency."