61-520: Download coordinates as: The Guiana Space Centre (French: Centre spatial guyanais ; CSG ), also called Europe's Spaceport , is a spaceport to the northwest of Kourou in French Guiana , a overseas region of France in South America . Kourou is located approximately 500 kilometres (310 mi; 270 nmi) north of the equator at a latitude of 5°. In operation since 1968, it
122-843: A Node 3 spaceport on the Martian moon Phobos to enable refueling and resupply prior to Mars surface landings, missions beyond Mars, and return trips to Earth. In addition to propellant mining and refueling, the network of spaceports could provide services such as power storage and distribution, in-space assembly and repair of spacecraft, communications relay, shelter, construction and leasing of infrastructure, maintaining spacecraft positioned for future use, and logistics. Space launch facilities have been colonial developments and have also been impacting its surroundings by destroying or polluting their environment, creating precarious cleanup situations. European Launcher Development Organisation The European Launcher Development Organisation ( ELDO )
183-493: A driving factor in spaceport placement because most of the delta-v for a launch is spent on achieving the required horizontal orbital speed . The small gain from a few kilometers of extra altitude does not usually off-set the logistical costs of ground transport in mountainous terrain. Many spaceports have been placed at existing military installations, such as intercontinental ballistic missile ranges, which are not always physically ideal sites for launch. A rocket launch site
244-417: A dummy third stage and satellite. On this launch, the second stage did not ignite and was unsuccessful. The seventh launch, F-6/2, took place on 5 December 1967. It aimed to do the same objective as F-6/1, but the first and second stages did not separate. The eighth launch, F-7, took place on 30 November 1968. On this launch, all three stages were active and a satellite was fitted. After the second stage ignited,
305-472: A former penal colony including the infamous Devil's Island . Now a tourist site, the islands are under the launching trajectory for geosynchronous orbit and have to be evacuated during launches. As of 2017, Kourou counts amongst the spaceports with the highest percentage of successful launches, both successive and overall. Here is a chronology of all orbital launches from the Kourou spaceport since 1970, under
366-544: A rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station , with a latitude of 28.5°, can only be launched to an inclination of 28.5°, requiring a significant amount of propellant to change the inclination. The location of the Guiana Space Centre provides benefits for launching spacecraft into low-inclination or geostationary Earth orbits. Rockets of similar size to those used at other spaceports to place satellites into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO), such as
427-469: A satellite into geostationary transfer orbit. Following this decision, in 1969, many unsuccessful launches of Europa-1 and the resignation of Britain and Italy prompted a reconsideration of ideas. In 1970, ELDO was forced to cancel the Europa-1 programme. By late 1970, the plans for Europa-2 were created. Europa-2 was a similarly designed rocket with an extra stage added in. The funding for Europa-2
488-471: A table of spaceports and launch complexes for vertical launchers with documented achieved launches of humans to space (more than 100 km (62 mi) altitude). The sorting order is spaceport by spaceport according to the time of the first human launch. † Three of the Soyuz missions were uncrewed and are not counted ( Soyuz 2 , Soyuz 20 , Soyuz 34 ). ‡ STS-51-L ( Challenger ) failed to reach orbit and
549-480: Is a former European space research organisation. It was first developed in order to establish a satellite launch vehicle for Europe. The three-stage rocket developed was named Europa , after the mythical Greek goddess . Overall, there were 10 launches that occurred under ELDO's funding. The organisation consisted of Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands. Australia was an associate member of
610-617: Is a suitable location for a spaceport because of its near equatorial location and open sea to the east and north. At CSG, space launches are conducted by several European private companies and government agencies working together. The CSG land itself is managed by CNES , the French national space agency. The launch infrastructure built on the CSG land is owned by the European Space Agency . The private company Arianespace operates
671-566: Is built as far as possible away from major population centers in order to mitigate risk to bystanders should a rocket experience a catastrophic failure. In many cases a launch site is built close to major bodies of water to ensure that no components are shed over populated areas. Typically a spaceport site is large enough that, should a vehicle explode, it will not endanger human lives or adjacent launch pads. Planned sites of spaceports for sub-orbital tourist spaceflight often make use of existing ground infrastructure, including runways. The nature of
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#1732772458911732-605: Is located 2.8 km (1.7 mi) from the ELA-3 launch zone. The mobile launch table completes the trip with an Ariane 5 in about one hour. It is then secured in place over the launch pad's flame ducts. Fire safety is ensured by a detachment of the Paris Fire Brigade , a branch of the French Army . Security around the base is ensured by French Gendarmerie forces, assisted by the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment of
793-573: Is located along the Route de l'Espace in the Roche Christine site at 5°15′45″N 52°47′27″W / 5.26258°N 52.79074°W / 5.26258; -52.79074 , between ELA-3 and ELS launch facilities. CNES was responsible for the construction of the Ariane 6 ground segments including the new launch pad. Earthworks on the 150 hectare launch site began at the end of June 2015 and
854-452: Is not counted. STS-107 ( Columbia ) reached orbit and is therefore included in the count (disaster struck on re-entry). Crewed Missions failed to reach Kármán line: Soyuz T-10a (1983) STS-51-L (1986) Soyuz MS-10 (2018) The following is a table of spaceports with a documented achieved launch to orbit. The table is sorted according to the time of the first launch that achieved satellite orbit insertion. The first column gives
915-557: Is the major European spaceport, with satellite launches that benefit from the location 5 degrees north of the equator. In October 2003 the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center achieved the first Chinese human spaceflight. Breaking with tradition, in June 2004 on a runway at Mojave Air and Space Port , California, a human was for the first time launched to space in a privately funded, suborbital spaceflight, that
976-454: The Earth's rotational speed (465 m/s at the equator). Such launches also provide a desirable orientation for arriving at a geostationary orbit . For polar orbits and Molniya orbits this does not apply. In principle, advantages of high altitude launch are reduced vertical distance to travel and a thinner atmosphere for the rocket to penetrate. However, altitude of the launch site is not
1037-487: The French Foreign Legion . Before and during launch windows, CSG facility security is significantly enhanced by anti-personnel and anti-aircraft measures, the exact configurations of which are classified by the French military. All entrants to the launch complex are also subject to checks for proof of permission to enter the facility. The Guiana Space Centre (as per CNES) also contains the Îles du Salut ,
1098-840: The Moon , Mars , orbiting the Earth, at Sun-Earth and Earth-Moon Lagrange points , and at other locations in the Solar System . Human-tended outposts on the Moon or Mars, for example, will be spaceports by definition. The 2012 Space Studies Program of the International Space University studied the economic benefit of a network of spaceports throughout the solar system beginning from Earth and expanding outwardly in phases, within its team project Operations And Service Infrastructure for Space (OASIS). Its analysis claimed that
1159-632: The Proton and Ariane 5 rockets , can send similar payloads to a low Earth orbit (LEO). For example, the Proton rocket, launched from high latitudes in Russia, can only send 6,270 kg to GTO, while the Kourou-launched Ariane 5 can send more than 10,000 kg to GTO. Originally built in the 1960s under the name of Base Équatoriale du CECLES (English: ELDO Equatorial Base ),
1220-520: The Collective of 500 Brothers led protests in Kourou, which spread across the entire country, and resonated in mainland France. On 21 March 2017, the launch of an Ariane 5 rocket carrying a Brazilian satellite and a South Korean satellite was prevented due to protesters and workers on strike from the CSG blockading the centre. Further strikes and occupation of the space centre meant that the satellites were not launched until May 2017. Negotiations between
1281-706: The ESA, with ESA covering today two thirds of Guiana Space Centre's budget. Commercial launches are also bought by non-European companies. ESA pays two-thirds of the spaceport's annual budget and has also financed the upgrades made during the development of the Ariane launchers. On 4 April 2017, the center was occupied by 30 labour unions and indigenous peoples leaders in the midst of the 2017 social unrest in French Guiana . The center resumed operation on 24 April 2017, after an emergency relief plan of up to 2.1 billion euros
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#17327724589111342-454: The ESRO to create the ESA. After F-10 was cancelled, it was decided that Woomera launch site was not suitable for putting satellites into geosynchronous orbit. In 1966, it was decided to move to the French site of Kourou in South America . France planned to launch F-11, on which Europa-2 launched off into the sky. However, thanks to the static discharge from the fairings travelling down to
1403-567: The European Launcher Development Organisation planned eleven launches, only ten of which actually occurred. Of the nine actual launches, four were successful. Four other launches were unsuccessful and there was one launch that was terminated. The first launch, F-1, occurred on 5 June 1964 which tested only the first stage of the launch and was successful. Both F-2 and F-3, which occurred on 20 October 1964 and 22 March 1965 on their respective dates tested only
1464-597: The European Space Agency (ESA), with the organisation covering around 66% of the spaceport's annual budget, as well as financing new facilities. Indigenous and local activist groups argue that mainland France is only interested in French Guiana as far as the space centre is concerned, and the funding that the space centre receives is symbolic given the inequity in living standards seen between the department and mainland France. For example, despite there being high poverty levels and unemployment rates of over 20% in
1525-417: The French and European space programmes. Success Failure Partial Failure Scheduled The space sector was responsible for about 15% of French Guiana's GDP in 2014, around half of the 28% it was in 1990. This reduction is mostly due to expansion in other sectors, rather than decreasing space activity. As of 2020,
1586-507: The French government and Guianese protesters resulted in a rejection of a €1.1 billion offer made by the French, with the Guianese demanding at least €3 billion in aid. Since the protests, CNES (National Centre for Space Studies), the French government space agency that operates the spaceport, added an additional €10 million to the €40 million it had already pledged to fund economic and social programmes in French Guiana. Particularly regarding
1647-530: The German stage, fired for an extra 361 seconds to launch the rocket into Earth's lower orbit. The first stage was a development of Blue Streak and was built in Stevenage , Hertfordshire U.K. In June 1964, the first stage, F1, had its first launch at Woomera, South Australia. By the middle of 1966, ELDO decided to change Europa-1 from a three-stage launcher into a four-stage launcher that was capable of placing
1708-554: The Guiana launch site. The ELS project is being co-funded by Arianespace, ESA, and the European Union , with CNES being the prime contractor. The project has a projected cost of approximately €320 million, where €120 million are allocated for modernizing the Soyuz vehicle. The official opening of the launch site construction occurred on 27 February 2007. On 13 September 2010, Spaceflight Now reported that after several delays in
1769-406: The Moon are sometimes called spaceports, in particular if intended as a base for further journeys. The term rocket launch site is used for any facility from which rockets are launched. It may contain one or more launch pads or suitable sites to mount a transportable launch pad. It is typically surrounded by a large safety area, often called a rocket range or missile range . The range includes
1830-619: The Netherlands and Australia would join. Australia provided a sparsely populated site for missile launcher testing and development at Woomera, South Australia . The original intent of this organisation was to develop a space programme exclusively for Europe, excluding the UN or any outside country. The initial plans for the rocket were proposed in 1962. The rocket created was called the ELDO-A , later renamed Europa-1 . It measured 31.7 m (104 ft) in length and weighed more than 110 tons. Europa-1
1891-513: The Russians will get access to the Kourou spaceport for launching their own payloads with Soyuz rockets. Russia will use the Guiana Space Centre in addition to Baikonur Cosmodrome . The Guiana location has the significant benefit of greatly increased payload capability, owing to the near equatorial position. A Soyuz rocket with a 1.7 tones to geostationary transfer orbit performance from Baikonur will increase its payload potential to 2.8 tones from
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1952-958: The area over which launched rockets are expected to fly, and within which some components of the rockets may land. Tracking stations are sometimes located in the range to assess the progress of the launches. Major spaceports often include more than one launch complex , which can be rocket launch sites adapted for different types of launch vehicles . (These sites can be well-separated for safety reasons.) For launch vehicles with liquid propellant, suitable storage facilities and, in some cases, production facilities are necessary. On-site processing facilities for solid propellants are also common. A spaceport may also include runways for takeoff and landing of aircraft to support spaceport operations, or to enable support of HTHL or horizontal takeoff and vertical landing (HTVL) winged launch vehicles. The first rockets to reach space were V-2 rockets launched from Peenemünde , Germany in 1944 during World War II . After
2013-592: The centre's location adjacent to the open sea to the east reduces the potential risk of rocket stages and debris from launch failures falling on or near human settlements, which enhances safety during spaceflight activities. Furthermore, rockets typically launch towards the east to take advantage of Earth's rotation and the angular momentum it provides. The near-equatorial location of the Guiana Space Centre offers an advantage for launches to low- inclination or geostationary Earth orbits, as rockets can be launched into orbits with an inclination of as low as 6°. In contrast,
2074-740: The colonial history the site has been identified as carrying a heritage of colonialism and imperialism into space . Spaceport A spaceport or cosmodrome is a site for launching or receiving spacecraft , by analogy to a seaport for ships or an airport for aircraft. The word spaceport , and even more so cosmodrome , has traditionally been used for sites capable of launching spacecraft into orbit around Earth or on interplanetary trajectories. However, rocket launch sites for purely sub-orbital flights are sometimes called spaceports, as in recent years new and proposed sites for suborbital human flights have been frequently referred to or named "spaceports". Space stations and proposed future bases on
2135-499: The construction of a mobile gantry the launch pad had been finished, and the first flight of the Soyuz was expected to occur in early 2011. By October 2010, 18 launch contracts were signed. Arianespace has ordered 24 launchers from Russian industry. On 21 October 2011, two Galileo IOV-1 and IOV-2 satellites were launched using a Soyuz-ST rocket, in the "first Russian Soyuz vehicle ever launched from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana.". On 26 February 2022, Roscosmos announced that it
2196-519: The cosmodrome was initially held secret. Guesses to its location were misdirected by a name in common with a mining town 320 km away. The position became known in 1957 outside the Soviet Union only after U-2 planes had identified the site by following railway lines in the Kazakh SSR , although Soviet authorities did not confirm the location for decades. The Baikonur Cosmodrome achieved
2257-468: The department, the cost of living remains high due to a dependence on mainland France for imported food and resources, yet large amounts of funding are invested in the space programme, rather than in public services for the department. The department became the site of strikes and protests throughout March and April 2017, which were held to highlight the insecurity and infrastructural issues facing French Guiana. Alongside 30 labour unions who launched strikes,
2318-622: The early human flights, were carried out at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station . For the Apollo programme, an adjacent spaceport, Kennedy Space Center , was constructed, and achieved the first crewed mission to the lunar surface ( Apollo 11 ) in July 1969. It was the base for all Space Shuttle launches and most of their runway landings. For details on the launch complexes of the two spaceports, see List of Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island launch sites . The Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana,
2379-484: The failure to launch Britain's Blue Streak Missile, Britain wished to use its finished space launch parts in order to cut losses. In 1961, Britain and France announced that they would be working together on a launcher that would be capable of sending a one-ton satellite into space. This cooperation was later drafted into the Convention of the European Launcher Development Organisation, which Italy, Belgium, West Germany,
2440-602: The first launch of a human into space ( Yuri Gagarin ) in 1961. The launch complex used, Site 1, has reached a special symbolic significance and is commonly called Gagarin's Start . Baikonur was the primary Soviet cosmodrome, and is still frequently used by Russia under a lease arrangement with Kazakhstan. In response to the early Soviet successes, the United States built up a major spaceport complex at Cape Canaveral in Florida. A large number of uncrewed flights, as well as
2501-561: The first phase, placing the "Node 1" spaceport with space tug services in low Earth orbit (LEO), would be commercially profitable and reduce transportation costs to geosynchronous orbit by as much as 44% (depending on the launch vehicle). The second phase would add a Node 2 spaceport on the lunar surface to provide services including lunar ice mining and delivery of rocket propellants back to Node 1. This would enable lunar surface activities and further reduce transportation costs within and out from cislunar space . The third phase would add
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2562-469: The first stage once again and were both successful. The fourth launch, F-4, occurred on 24 May 1966. This launch tested only the first stage of the rocket with a dummy stage 2 and 3. This flight was terminated 136 seconds into flight. The fifth launch, F-5, took place on 13 November 1966. This launch aimed to complete the same task as F-4 and was successful. The sixth launch, F-6/1, took place on 4 August 1967. This launch had an active first and second stage with
2623-442: The geographical location. Operations from a different country are indicated in the fourth column. A launch is counted as one also in cases where the payload consists of multiple satellites. 4 Qaem 100 The following table shows spaceports with documented achieved launches of humans to at least 100 km altitude, starting from a horizontal runway. All the flights were sub-orbital . Spaceports have been proposed for locations on
2684-612: The launches including planning missions, handing customer relationships and overseeing the team at CSG at that integrates and prepares vehicles for launch. The rockets themselves are designed and produced by other companies, ArianeGroup for the Ariane 6 and Avio for the Vega . In 1964, Guiana was selected to become the spaceport of France, replacing France's first launch site Centre interarmées d'essais d'engins spéciaux in Hammaguir , Algeria. In 1975, France offered to share Kourou with
2745-399: The local view from 100 km (62 mi) altitude is also a factor to consider. The space tourism industry (see List of private spaceflight companies ) is being targeted by spaceports in numerous locations worldwide. e.g. Spaceport America , New Mexico. The establishment of spaceports for tourist trips raises legal issues, which are only beginning to be addressed. The following is
2806-645: The organisation. Initially, the launch site was in Woomera, Australia , but was later moved to the French site Kourou , in French Guiana . The programme was created to replace the Blue Streak Missile Programme after its cancellation in 1960. In 1974, after an unsuccessful satellite launch, the programme was merged with the European Space Research Organisation to form the European Space Agency . After
2867-412: The pad hosted an Ariane-2 and two Ariane-3 launches. The complex consisted of two areas: the launcher preparation zone and the launch pad, separated by one kilometre, allowing a launcher to be assembled in the preparation zone while another launch from the pad. A mobile service tower at the launch pad provided a protected environment for payload installation and final preparation of the rocket. Following
2928-538: The pad located at 5°14′10″N 52°46′30″W / 5.236°N 52.775°W / 5.236; -52.775 was designed for the Europa-II launch vehicle . One Europa-II was launched from the site in 1971, which ended in failure due to a guidance problem, before the program was cancelled. The pad at Giunana was demolished and subsequently rebuilt as the first launch complex for Ariane as ELA ( Ensemble de Lancement Ariane ). Redesignated later as ELA-1 , it
2989-450: The retirement of the Ariane 4 in favor of the Ariane 5 , In September 2011, the pad's service tower was demolished using explosives. ELA-3 ( Ensemble de Lancement Ariane-3 ) was active between 4 June 1996 and 5 July 2023, launching the Ariane 5 . This facility is located at 5°14′20″N 52°46′05″W / 5.239°N 52.768°W / 5.239; -52.768 and covers an area of 21 km (8.1 sq mi). ELA4
3050-436: The space sector employed 4,620 people in Guiana, meaning the industry was responsible for just under 10% of salaried jobs in the overseas department, though there are estimates that as many as 9,000 people are employed directly and indirectly as a result of activities at the spaceport. The Guiana Space Centre (or CSG) is one of the spaceports in the world that receives the most traffic, and it receives large amounts of funding from
3111-399: The third stage exploded. The ninth launch, F-8, occurred on 3 July 1969 and aimed to do the same thing as F-7, but ended the same way. The tenth launch, F-9, occurred on 12 June 1970 and had all stages active with a satellite fitted. In this launch, all stages were successful, yet the satellite failed to orbit. After this launch, ELDO began losing funds and members and was eventually phased into
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#17327724589113172-535: The war, 70 complete V-2 rockets were brought to White Sands for test launches, with 47 of them reaching altitudes between 100 km and 213 km. The world's first spaceport for orbital and human launches, the Baikonur Cosmodrome in southern Kazakhstan , started as a Soviet military rocket range in 1955. It achieved the first orbital flight ( Sputnik 1 ) in October 1957. The exact location of
3233-410: Was authorized by the French government. The location of the space centre was selected based on various factors. One of the primary benefits of this spaceport is its proximity to the equator , which makes it more efficient, requiring substantially less energy, to launch spacecraft into an near-equatorial , geostationary orbit compared to launching from spaceports at higher latitudes . Additionally,
3294-853: Was built at Gulkula on the Gove Peninsula in the Northern Territory of Australia in the 1960s, to track the downrange path of rockets launched from the RAAF Woomera Range Complex in South Australia , with its state-of-the-art technology operated by mainly Belgian scientists. The satellite tracker was moved back up to the Gove Peninsula in September 2020 by the local historical society, after spending years in storage at Woomera. Overall,
3355-632: Was completed at the start of 2016. Four platforms were levelled to accommodate the launch pad, the liquid oxygen and hydrogen tanks and the assembly building. Civil engineering works on the flame trench and other buildings began in the summer of 2016 and ended in 2019. The new launch facility was inaugurated on 28 September 2021 with first flight of the Ariane 6 conducted on 9 July 2024. ESA has built ELS ( Ensemble de Lancement Soyouz ) at 5°18′18″N 52°50′02″W / 5.305°N 52.834°W / 5.305; -52.834 for launching Russian-built Soyuz-2 rockets. The first Soyuz launch from ELS
3416-427: Was intended to pave the way for future commercial spaceflights. The spacecraft, SpaceShipOne , was launched by a carrier airplane taking off horizontally. At Cape Canaveral, SpaceX in 2015 made the first successful landing and recovery of a first stage used in a vertical satellite launch. Rockets can most easily reach satellite orbits if launched near the equator in an easterly direction, as this maximizes use of
3477-567: Was planned to put a payload of 1,000 kg (2,200 lb)–1,200 kg (2,600 lb) into a 500 km (310 mi) circular orbit above earth. The three stages consisted of the Blue Streak stage, the French Coralie stage, and the German stage. The first stage, the Blue Streak stage, was to fire for 160 seconds after launch. The second stage, the French Coralie stage, fired for the following 103 seconds. The third and final stage,
3538-486: Was postponed several times, but launched on 21 October 2011. ELS is located on the territory of Sinnamary commune, 27 km (17 mi) from Kourou harbor. It is 10 km (6.2 mi) northwest of the site used for the Ariane 5 launches. Under the terms of the Russo-European joint venture, ESA will augment its own launch vehicle fleet with Soyuz rockets – using them to launch ESA or commercial payloads – and
3599-566: Was supplied 90% by France and Germany. On November 5, 1971, Europa-2 was launched for the first time, but unsuccessfully. The failure of the rocket led to the consideration of a Europa-3 rocket design. However, Europa-3 was never created and the lack of funding prompted the merging of the European Launcher Development Organisation and the European Space Research Organisation to form the European Space Agency. The Gove Down Range Guidance and Telemetry Station
3660-742: Was suspending operations at ELS as a reaction to international sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War . According to Stephane Israël , CEO of Arianespace, "there will no longer be Soyuz launches" from the Guiana Space Center. Astrium assembles each Ariane 5 launcher in the Launcher Integration Building. The vehicle is then delivered to the Final Assembly Building for payload integration by Arianespace. The Final Assembly Building
3721-539: Was used for Ariane 1 and Ariane 2 and 3 launches until being retired in 1989. In November 2001, it was refurbished again for the Vega rocket and renamed ELV ( Ensemble de Lancement Vega ). The first launch was on 13 February 2012. The ELA-2 pad ( Ensemble de Lancement Ariane-2 ), located at 5°13′55″N 52°46′34″W / 5.232°N 52.776°W / 5.232; -52.776 , built in 1986, had been used for Ariane 4 launches from 1988 until 2003. Before 1988, although purpose-built for Ariane 4 ,
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