Calepin des entreprises international 2026 VA.pdf — page 19

18
ARIANEGROUP
Business trends
	
 ArianeGroup’s revenues recovered in 2024 to reach €2.5 billion (+7.7% year-on-year). The year was marked 
by the successful maiden flight of Ariane 6 in July 2024, which contributed to the group’s return to profit. 
Arianespace also carried out two launches on Vega/Vega C during the year. Defence activities related to 
oceanic deterrence (M51 missile) also performed well.
	
 At the end of 2024, Arianespace had a backlog of around 30 launches for Ariane 6, including commercial 
flights (18 of which to launch over 600 satellites in Amazon’s Kuiper constellation) and institutional flights 
(notably for the launch of Galileo satellites and the European PLATO telescope, scheduled for the end of 
2026). From 2029, Arianespace is also set to participate in the deployment of the European IRIS² constellation, 
comprising nearly 300 satellites.
	
 Ariane 6 began commercial flights in 2025 and successfully completed four launches during the year (in 
March, August, November and December), launching the French military satellite CSO-3, the Metop-SGA1 
meteorological satellite, the Sentinel-1D satellite from the Copernicus programme and two satellites from the 
Galileo programme, respectively. The next launch is scheduled for early 2026 for Amazon using the four-
booster version of the launcher (Ariane 64). The aim is to reach a rate of around ten missions per year from 2027 
onwards (roughly double that of Ariane 5).
	
 Vega C successfully completed two flights in April and July 2025. Following an agreement signed in July 2024 
with Avio, Arianespace has responsibility for the launcher’s next two flights.
	
 The MaiaSpace subsidiary is developing its reusable mini-launcher Maia, which is scheduled to enter 
commercial operation in 2026. In June 2025, the company announced the construction of a 10,000 m² factory 
in Vernon (in northern France), near the ArianeGroup site, where 160 jobs will be created.
Home market
	
 In March 2025, MaiaSpace signed its first commercial contract with French start-up Exotrail, a specialist in 
space logistics, for several launches starting in 2027.
	
 In June 2025, the French Space Agency (CNES) awarded ArianeGroup a contract for preliminary work on a 
new-generation engine using liquid oxygen and methane, twice as powerful as the Vulcain 2.1 engine with a 
thrust of between 200 and 300 tonnes.
	
 In August 2025, the French defence procurement agency (DGA) awarded ArianeGroup the contract to 
develop and produce the fourth version of the M51 strategic ballistic missile. The M51.4 missile will offer 
increased performance in terms of range, accuracy and penetration capabilities. The group is also preparing 
to bring the M51.3 version of the missile into service.
	
 In September 2025, Arianespace signed a contract with Airbus Defence and Space to launch the two future 
German secure military communications satellites SATCOMBw 3 aboard two Ariane 6 flights.
Technology and Innovation
	
 At the Paris Air Show in June 2025, ArianeGroup presented a concept for a hypersonic deep strike weapon. 
The ballistic missile could aim at a target more than 1,000 km away and fly at around 20,000 km/h (Mach 16). 
Drawing on expertise gained from other programmes such as the M51 missile, the group plans to develop this 
new weapon within a few years.
	
 A test of the reusable Prometheus cryogenic engine, involving several successive starts, was carried out in 
June 2025 on the test bench in Vernon. Testing of the reusable first stage prototype, Themis, also began in 
September 2025 at a launch pad at the Esrange Space Centre (Sweden). An initial low-altitude flight and 
recovery test will then be conducted as part of the European SALTO programme.
	
 ArianeGroup signed a cooperation agreement with the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) in September 2025. 
Research will focus on space technologies for defence, including advanced materials and technologies and 
space surveillance systems.
STRATEGIC HIGHLIGHTS