# Arianespace

> <p><strong>Ownership:</strong> Subsidiary of ArianeGroup (50/50 Airbus + Safran joint venture). Évry (Paris) since 1980 — the world's first commercial launch-services company.<br><strong>Employees:</strong> ~300<br><strong>Key products:</strong> Ariane 6 heavy launcher; Vega-C light launcher; legacy Soyuz operations (paused post-2022)<br><strong>Key markets:</strong> European government and institutional missions; international commercial customers<br><strong>Known for:</strong> Europe's commercial launch operator. The current Ariane 6 transition (first flight 2024) is the most consequential European space-industry transition of the decade — moving from the venerable Ariane 5 architecture to a cheaper, more flexible heavy launcher that still keeps European autonomous access to space.<br><a href="https://www.arianespace.com">https://www.arianespace.com</a></p>

https://www.arianespace.com