The SICRAL 2 military telecommunications satellite was successfully launched on April 26 with an Arianespace launch vehicle from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. SICRAL 2 is a joint program between the Ministry of Defense in Italy and Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA) in France for the benefit of Italian and French armed forces, with stakes of 62 percent and 38 percent respectively. It is conducted by Thales Alenia Space and Telespazio, the two companies in the Space Alliance created by Finmeccanica and Thales.
Following development by Thales Alenia Space the Sicral 2 telecommunications satellite has arrived at the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana for an Ariane 5 launch on April 15.