ESA title
Signing of the EGAS Ariane contract
Enabling & Support

EGAS Programme

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ESA / Enabling & Support / Space Transportation

EGAS, the European Guaranteed Access to Space – Ariane 5 programme, commenced in 2004. Its aim: to ensure that Ariane 5 launchers would be available for future European missions.

Prior to 2004, unlike the world’s space-faring nations, Europe had no guaranteed institutional market. As a result, the continued production of Ariane launchers relied upon the commercial market for satellite launches, a market that had been steadily decreasing in recent years.

The EGA Ariane programme had two main objectives:

  • to provide Europe with guaranteed access to space by securing the capability to provide reliable launch services for at least six launches a year over a period of five years
  • to foster the creation of a European institutional market for the Ariane launcher to maximise their institutional use

EGAS covered some of the fixed production costs for producing Ariane 5 launchers. This fostered the creation of a European institutional market for Ariane launchers by enabling Arianespace to offer European institutions competitive market prices, reliable service and launch priority.

Promoting an institutional market within Europe placed Europe on a level playing field when competing with other space industries and ensure the continued production of Ariane launchers. This, in turn, helped to guarantee Europe’s independent access to space.

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