Alphabus Extension signing ceremony

An extension contract to develop a more powerful Alphabus was signed in Toulouse, France on Friday, 1 April. The contract, signed by EADS Astrium, Thales Alenia Space, ESA and Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), will qualify Alphabus for the very high-power end of the communication satellite market. Signing the contract were from left to right: Arnaud de Rosnay (Astrium), Magali Vaissiere (ESA), Marc Pircher (CNES), and Daniel Kleim (Thales Alenia Space). The Alphabus product line is co-marketed by Thales Alenia Space and Astrium.