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Successful launch of the Venus Express satellite, integrated by Alcatel Alenia Space

09 November 2005

Alcatel Alenia Space applauds the successful launch of the Venus Express satellite designed to explore the Venusian atmosphere. Venus Express was launched today from Baïkonur in Kazakhstan by a Soyuz-fregat rocket. Venus Express is part of European Space Agency's first mission to Earth's nearest planetary neighbor.

The satellite was integrated by Alcatel Alenia Space in Turin (Italy). Alcatel Alenia Space, the European reference in space science programs after the Huygens success, is strongly involved in this new program to better understand our Universe.

Alcatel Alenia Space President and CEO Pascale Sourisse was very pleased by this new successful launch and noted : "The work carried out on Venus Express is further testimony of Alcatel Alenia Space's ability to assemble complex probes and scientific satellites at a system level in a limited time frame and budget." She added: "Our deadlines for the integration and testing activities have been respected, as committed to at beginning of the program in June 2003."

After Mars Express, Rosetta en-route to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Geramisenko and the worldwide success of the Cassini-Huygens mission, Venus Express strengthens Alcatel Alenia Space's position in the exploration/sciences domain. Alcatel Alenia Space has been able to demonstrate its outstanding competencies in coordinating international alliances in long-term endeavors and to assemble, integrate and test scientific probes. Furthermore, Alcatel Alenia Space has a proven expertise in technologies needed for space astronomy and interplanetary missions with landings, including outer space telecommunications.

About Alcatel Alenia Space
Alcatel Alenia Space, leader in satellite systems and at the forefront of orbit infrastructures, brings together the vast experience and know-how of Alcatel Space and Alenia Spazio to form a new leading force in European space technology. Alcatel Alenia Space represents a worldwide standard for space development that impacts everybody's future: from navigation to telecommunications, from meteorology to environmental monitoring, from defence to science and observation. An affiliate of Alcatel (67%) and Finmeccanica (33%), Alcatel Alenia Space generated an estimated turnover of 1.8 billion euros with around 7,200 people in 2004.