Ariane 4 launch team to be honored at 20th National Space Symposium

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Jan. 22, 2004) — The Space Foundation announced today the winner of its 2004 Space Achievement Award: the Arianespace-CNES Ariane 4 launch team. The award will be presented during the Opening Ceremony of the 20th National Space Symposium on March 29, 2004. Mr. Jean-Marie Luton, Arianespace Chairman; Mr. Jean-Yves Le Gall, Arianespace Chief Executive Officer; and Dr. Yannick D’Escatha, CNES President, will accept the award. “We are delighted to accept this prestigious honor from the Space Foundation, one of the leading space organizations. As a corporate partner of the Foundation, we also look forward to exhibiting at the 20th Anniversary National Space Symposium,” said Le Gall. The 20th National Space Symposium takes place at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs March 29-April 1. The National Space Symposium is the premier annual space industry conference anywhere in the world. More than 5,000 space professionals are expected to participate this year. On-line registration and conference details can be found at www.spacesymposium.org. The Space Achievement Award is being presented to the Arianespace-CNES Ariane 4 launch team for the successful development and operation of the Ariane 4 launcher, which, from 1988-2003, provided the global space industry with a key capability, bringing satellite services to people around the world by launching 182 space craft on 144 launch vehicles for 50 clients. The Ariane 4 family was the workhorse of the commercial launch services industry during its service career. Ariane 4 was the result of Europe’s accurate forecast of the growth of satellite payload weight and size from the late 1980s. To meet the predicted market needs, the flexible family approach was adopted. The Ariane 4 family’s payload lift performance to geostationary transfer orbit ranged from 2,000 kg. to 4,900 kg. (4,400 lbs to 10,780 lbs.). For more information on the Ariane 4, visit www.arianespace.com. The Space Foundation annually recognizes an individual or organization that has demonstrated space achievement, breakthrough space technology, or program or product success deemed to represent a critical milestone in the evolution of space exploration and development. Previous recipients of the Space Achievement Award include the United States Air Force, The Boeing Company and Lockheed Martin Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) teams, the NASA/Industry Galileo Space Probe Team and the men and women of U.S. Space Command and its component organizations, the Hubble Space Telescope Team, Sea Launch, and the NASA/Boeing International Space Station Team. The 20th National Space Symposium’s Opening Ceremony is co-sponsored by Lockheed Martin Corporation; the Opening Night Fireworks and Dessert Reception is co-sponsored by Inmarsat; the Corporate Partnership Reception is co-sponsored by the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce; the Corporate Partnership Dinner is co-sponsored by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.; the General James E. Hill Lifetime Space Achievement Award Luncheon is co-sponsored by Spectrum Astro; the exhibit center is sponsored by Northrop Grumman; the Space Technology Hall of Fame Dinner is co-sponsored by The Boeing Company; and the cyberspace center is sponsored by Hewlett Packard and Oracle Corporation. Additional sponsors include Air Force Research Laboratory, Analytical Graphics, Inc., BAE Systems, Computer Sciences Corporation, CSP Associates, Eastman Kodak Company, Harris Corporation, Honeywell Space Systems, Infinite Links, Inmarsat, ITT Industries, Penwal Industries, Raytheon Company, SPACE.com, Space News, SpaceVest, and Stellar Solutions. About the Space Foundation
The Colorado Springs, Colo.-based Space Foundation is a national non-profit organization, which vigorously advances civil, commercial, and national security space endeavors and educational excellence. In addition to the National Space Symposium, the Space Foundation annually conducts, along with it partnering organizations, Space at the Crossroads, scheduled Feb. 18, 2004, in Washington, D.C.; and Strategic Space 2004, scheduled Oct. 5-7, 2004, in Omaha, Neb. The Foundation manages an on-site NASA Educational Resource Center; offers two distinct Master’s in Space Studies Degrees in conjunction with the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and Regis University; and has trained more than 30,000 teachers since 1986 on Teaching With Space through Space Discovery graduate courses and national conferences. For more information, visit www.spacefoundation.org.