Astrium lays Foundation Stone for New Ariane Production Centre in Bavaria
Ottobrunn, 06 December 2001
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Astrium invests EURO 20 million in new production facilities for launcher engines
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Ariane Centre secures competitiveness at Ottobrunn site
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Bavaria's Economics Minister Wiesheu underlines importance of space activities in Bavaria
Astrium places its faith in Ottobrunn as a site for space activities. Europe's largest space company is investing a total of EUR 20 million in a new production centre for launcher engines. Astrium announced this at the ceremonious laying of the foundation stone for the "Ariane Centre" on Thursday. The Bavarian Minister of Economics and Technology, Otto Wiesheu, laid the foundation stone for an ambitious construction project. From autumn 2002 onwards, in an area covering 10,000 square metres a total of 160 highly qualified engineers and skilled workers will build engines for Ariane, the most successful launcher in the world for the commercial transport of satellites.
"With the Ariane Centre we are actively shaping the future of the space activities site Ottobrunn," stated Axel Deich, Director Propulsion at Astrium's Space Infrastructure Division and 'builder-owner' of the Ariane Centre. "Through the concentration of our production activities under one roof, we will optimise our production sequences. This gives us competitive advantages in production times and costs - an important prerequisite for defending Ariane's leading position in the market. An investment which will pay off very soon."
By building the Ariane Centre, Astrium is underlining the importance of the Ottobrunn site for the development and production of space propulsion systems. Small and medium-sized businesses from this region will receive more than 80 percent of the contract volumes arising from the EUR 20 million investment by Astrium. For Minister of State Wiesheu this demonstrates how important the space industry is in Bavaria: "Thanks to its participation in the Ariane programme and the further development of the European launcher, Astrium is giving a boost to Bavaria as a high-tech industrial location. The Ariane Centre makes Astrium fit for competition and secures important know-how for future space projects."
Following the release of funds for the further development of Ariane 5 by the ESA Council at its conference in mid-November, the future course was set for Ariane 5. The central point of the Ariane 5 Plus programme is the development of a new cryogenic upper stage. Astrium is responsible for the entire upper stage including the new Vinci thrust chamber. Vinci is the first restartable cryogenic engine in Europe. Rainer Hertrich, Chief Executive Officer of EADS European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company, judges this decision to be an important signal for Astrium. "Space activities have a tradition of more than 40 years at Ottobrunn. We possess unique know-how here for the development and production of space propulsion systems and satellite components. The decision by the ESA Council also demonstrates the confidence it has in the core competencies of the space industry in Germany."
The thrust chamber systems for Ariane 5 will be manufactured at the Ariane Centre in the future. The thrust chamber forms the core of every rocket engine. The most powerful Astrium product, the thrust chamber for the main engine of Ariane 5 - Vulcain 2 - can deliver a thrust of 135 tons, which corresponds to four million hp. For Vulcain 2 production alone, the processing times can be reduced by more than 30 percent thanks to the combining of the core production activities in the Ariane Centre and the introduction of new manufacturing methods. To take the example of high-performance cutting: the technology programme, under the support of the Bavarian Research Foundation and leadership of Astrium, allows high-tech components such as rocket combustion chambers or satellite antennas to be processed up to ten times more quickly. The project has a volume of EUR 4 million, of which Astrium receives roughly EUR 1.2 million in grants from the Bavarian Research Foundation, while the remaining EUR 2.8 million comes from the company's own funds.
At the Ariane Centre, offices and production and integration halls will cover 10,000 square metres - room for 160 engineers and skilled workers. After a construction time of only 12 months, Astrium will move into the new Ariane Centre in the autumn of 2002.
Astrium, Europe's leading space company, is a joint enterprise of EADS European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (75 percent) and BAE SYSTEMS (25 percent). Astrium has 8,000 employees in Germany, France, Great Britain and Spain. The company achieved revenues of EUR 2.03 billion in 2000.
