Arianespace SA, a French company founded in 1980, is the world's first commercial launch service provider. Employing approximately 260 people, it is headquartered in France and operates as a subsidiary of ArianeGroup, a joint venture between Airbus and Safran. The company's launch services utilize two rocket systems: Vega C, designed for smaller payloads, and Ariane 6, capable of launching medium to heavy payloads.