Signing of the EGAS Ariane contract

On 9 March 2004, one week after the successful launch of Rosetta by Ariane 5 and less than five weeks after the subscription by Participating States of the European Guaranteed Access to Space (EGAS) Ariane programme, ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain and Arianespace CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall signed the €950 million EGAS Ariane Contract