This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on June 28, 2018

SINGAPORE: French-based satelite launch provider Arianespace SA anticipates that its business will experience dynamic growth in the Asia-Pacific (Apac) region going forward, as demand for connectivity and mobility increases.

This is because the region’s geographical landscape, like countries in Indonesia and India, demands increased connectivity, said Arianespace’s chief executive officer Stephane Israel in a media briefing here yesterday.

In particular, he said the demand is backed by the need to increase coverage connectivity to cater to underserved remote areas, said Israel.

“In this context, there are a larger number of players in the region and with this demand for connectivity we expect the market to be dynamic,” Israel said.

Since the company’s establishment, it has launched 82 satellites for 17 customers from 10 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, or more than half of all commercial regional satellites orbiting to date.

The company’s order book currently stands at €4.7 billion (RM21.99 billion) for the next two to three years, including 56 launches for 32 customers (70% commercial, 30% institutional).

So far this year, it has completed three launches: Two with an Ariane 5 and one with a Soyuz rocket. Three more have been planned for the second half of the year.

Going forward, Israel said Arianespace is ideally positioned to meet the future requirements of commercial and institutional operators in the region with its new generation Ariane 6 and Vega C launchers, with first flights planned from late 2019 onwards.

The company added there are no satellite launches for Malaysia this year.

Malaysia last launched the Measat-3b, the largest Malaysian satellite ever launched, three years ago. The RM1.1 billion satellite was the third Measat satellite launched by Arianespace after Measat-1 and Measat-2 in 1996.

Founded in 1980, Arianespace provides guaranteed launch solutions for all types of satellites, institutional or commercial, to all orbits.

It provides three types of launches, namely Ariane 5 (heavy launcher), Soyuz (medium launcher) and Vega (light launcher). It has two launch sites, one in French Guiana and one in Kazakhstan.

Arianespace is a subsidiary of ArianeGroup, which holds 74% of its shared capital.