Michael Tscherny, spokesman for EU Competition Commissioner Mario Monti, said Matra Marconi Space will sell off its mechanical wheels operations to ease Brussels' competition concerns regarding the venture.

The two parties will also grant licenses for the manufacture and sale of various equipment products supplied by DASA to Alcatel Space Industries, which is Matro Marconi's main rival in military communication satellites.

Contracts to set up the joint venture were signed in October last year, but the commission -- which acts as Europe's competition watchdog -- opened a full investigation in December.

It feared that the hook-up would result in Astrium becoming the overwhelming force in scientific and observation satellites, space infrastructure and launchers in Europe.

DASA annouced in October that Astrium would be Europe's leading space group, and one of the biggest on Earth, with sales of 2.25 billion euros (2.4 billion dollars) and a workforce for more than 8,000.

Copyright 1999 AFP. All rights reserved. The material on this page is provided by AFP and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Matra Marconi Space

Community
Email This Article
Comment On This Article

Related Links
Space

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS Solar Energy Solutions Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ... Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News

SPACEDAILY

Satellite Launch To Boost DTH In India
Calcutta, India (SPX) Dec 28, 2005
The successful launch Thursday of India's heaviest satellite from spaceport of Kourou in French Guyana may have boosted the country's space research efforts to yet another level, but it has also lifted the spirits of at least three Direct-To-Home televisions broadcasters, one of which has been waiting for years to launch its services in India.