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Opened for signature on 29 March 1962, the ELDO Convention entered into force two years later, on 29 February 1964. Its Council met for the first time on 5 May 1964. The initial ELDO programme involved the construction of a three-stage rocket plus a satellite test vehicle. Work on each component was distributed between the four major Western European states: the UK would provide the first stage, called Blue Streak; France and Germany would provide the second and third stages, respectively, and Italy would provide a test satellite.