The partnership between Astrium and JSC NC Kazakhstan Gharysh Sapary (KGS), the national company charged with the development of Kazakhstan’s space programme, has reached another major milestone with the signature of a contract for two Earth observation satellites, and the foundation documents to create a Joint Venture for the construction of an Assembly, Integration and Test Facility in Astana.
Astrium and KGS signed the two agreements during the State visit of the French President, Mr Sarkozy, to Mr Nazarbaev, the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the 5th and 6th October.
François Auque, CEO of Astrium declared after the signature:
“2009 is a great year for the partnership of KGS and Astrium. This new space system will provide the Republic of Kazakhstan with access to a wide range of civil applications including monitoring natural resources and agriculture as well as providing mapping data and rescue operation support in the event of a disaster. It will also put the Republic of Kazakhstan at the forefront of current space technology and complement the country’s space heritage, most famous for the Baikonur spaceport. The images from the Earth observation satellites will also be distributed globally by Astrium’s subsidiary Spot Image.”
Under the satellites contract Astrium will:
This contract allows Astrium to confirm its worldwide position as the predominant provider of Earth observation solutions from space. As the leading space company in Europe, Astrium has been successful in both the telecommunications and Earth observation markets, achieving major successes for countries wishing to develop their space activities in a cooperative manner.
JSC NC Kazakhstan Gharysh Sapary is the National Company in charge of the development of the Space Program in Kazakhstan. The Company headquarter is located in Astana City. President is Mr Gavyllatyp Murzakulov. The Company reports directly to the National Space Agency Kazcosmos, headed by Mr Talgat Musabaev (Former Cosmonaut and hero of the Republic of Kazakhstan). KGS Company has been founded in 2005 and has already established technical centres located in Almaty and Baikonur.
Astrium, a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS, is dedicated to providing civil and defence space systems and services. In 2008, Astrium had a turnover of €4.3 billion and 15,000 employees in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands. Its three main areas of activity are Astrium Space Transportation for launchers and orbital infrastructure, Astrium Satellites for spacecraft and ground segment and Astrium Services for the development and delivery of satellite services.
EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2008, EADS generated revenues of €43.3 billion and employed a workforce of more than 118, 000.
