[Satellite TODAY 06-24-10] Arianespace has ordered 10 additional Russian Soyuz-ST rockets from Roscosmos to support upcoming missions from the French Guiana Space Center, Roscosmos confirmed.
    The order provides Arianespace with launch vehicles and relevant support to cover missions until 2016. Arianespace said some of the Russian rockets would serve to deploy Galileo, the European navigation system. The new order brings Arianespace’s Soyuz stock to 24 launchers.
    The Soyuz-ST, a modification of the three-stage Soyuz-2 rocket, joins the Vega rocket as new members to Arianespace’s launcher family, both beginning their service at the spaceport in 2010-2011. Arianespace is aiming to launch about 10 missions per year, composed of an average seven Ariane 5 flights annually, plus two Soyuz missions and a Vega launch.