Federal Council ratifies the Declaration on the exploitation of European launchers

On 30 November, the Federal Council approved and ratified the Declaration by certain European governments on the Launchers Exploitation Phase of Ariane, Vega and Soyuz from the Guiana Space Centre («Launcher Exploitation Declaration LED 2017»). This Declaration sets up the framework for the exploitation of the European launch vehicles for an extended period until 2035. The ratification concludes the national procedure for acceptance of this declaration by Switzerland. The text currently in force until 2020, which provides the framework for the exploitation of the Ariane, Vega and Soyuz launchers, is prolonged until 2035 by the LED 2017. The development of the European launcher Ariane began in 1975 at the initiative of a number of states that are members of the European Space Agency (ESA), including Switzerland. At the beginning of the 1980s, these states defined a legal framework and entrusted Arianespace with the operational phase of the Ariane launcher. This framework was revised and extended several times to reflect the development by ESA of the new versions of launchers as well as the evolutions in the sector.