What is Guiana Space Centre?

Coordinates:

The Guiana Space Centre (French: Centre Spatial Guyanais or CSG) is a French spaceport near Kourou in French Guiana. Operational since 1968, it is particularly suitable as a location for a spaceport due to its proximity to the equator, and the fact that launches in the favourable direction are over water. The European Space Agency, the French space agency CNES, and the commercial Arianespace company launch their satellites from Kourou.

The spaceport was selected in 1964 to become the spaceport of France. When the European Space Agency (ESA) was founded in 1975, France offered to share Kourou with ESA. Commercial launches are bought also 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.

Facilities

Kourou is located approximately 500 km north of the equator, at a latitude of 5°10'. At this latitude, the Earth's rotation gives an additional velocity of approximately 500 m/s, when the launch trajectory heads eastward. Therefore, manœuvreing the satellites to the desired orbit is usually a simpler process.

The ground facilities at GSC include launcher and satellite preparation buildings, launch operation facilities and a solid propellant factory. GSC covers a total of 850 square kilometres.

ELA 1

The first launch complex for Ariane rockets, ELA 1, was used for Ariane 1, Ariane 2 and Ariane 3 launches until it was retired in 1989.^[1]

ELA 2

ELA 2 was used for Ariane 4 launches until 2003.

ELA 3

ELA 3 is currently in active use for Ariane 5 launches. These facilities cover 21 square kilometres.^[2]

Launch safety

Fire safety is ensured by a detachment of the Paris Fire Brigade. Safety around the base is ensured by French Gendarmerie forces, assisted by the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment of the French Foreign Legion.

The Guiana Space Centre (as per CNES) also holds the Îles du Salut, 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.

Soyuz at CSG

ESA is currently building facilities for launching Russian-built Soyuz rockets from this spaceport. Under the terms of a Russo-European joint venture, ESA will augment its own launch vehicle fleet with Soyuz rockets (and use them to launch ESA and/or commercial payloads) and the Russians will get access to the Kourou spaceport for launching their own payloads with Soyuz rockets. They will thus use the Guiana Space Centre as an alternative to their Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan launching site, with the benefit of significantly added payload capability due to the before-mentioned position near the equator.

The 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 mio, where €120 mio are allocated for modernizing the Soyuz vehicle ^[3]. The official opening of the launch site construction occurred on February 27, 2007. Excavation work however, started several months before and is expected to run through most of Q2 2007. Russian firms are due to arrive at the spaceport starting March, to build the necessary infrastructure and support facilities for operating the Soyuz launch vehicle. The maiden launch of Soyuz from CSG is currently planned for late 2008. ^[4]

Recent launches

• 2007-10-05 - An Ariane 5 GS launched from CSG carrying Intelsat 11 and Optus D2.^[5]

References

External links

• Centre Spatial Guyanais official site
• Europe's Spaceport - Information from ESA
• Europe's Spaceport - Information from Arianespace
• List of Stratospheric Balloons launched from CSG - Information from StratoCat

•  • [ e] Spaceports
Brazil (FAB, AEB)	Alcantara Launch Center
China (CNSA)	Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center • Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center • Wenchang Satellite Launch Center • Xichang Satellite Launch Center
France (CNES) / Europe (ESA)	Guiana Space Centre (in French Guiana)
India (ISRO)	Satish Dhawan Space Centre
Japan (JAXA)	Tanegashima Space Center • Uchinoura Space Center
Russia (RKA)	Baikonur Cosmodrome (in Kazakhstan) • Dombarovskiy • Kapustin Yar • Plesetsk Cosmodrome • Svobodny
USA (NASA, DoD)	in USA: Kennedy Space Center • Wallops Flight Facility • Cape Canaveral Air Force Station • Vandenberg Air Force Base ♦ elsewhere: Reagan Test Site
Private	in USA: Corn Ranch • Kodiak Launch Complex • Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport • Mojave Spaceport • Oklahoma Spaceport • Spaceport America ♦ elsewhere: Ocean Odyssey
Pakistan (SUPARCO)	Sonmiani Launch Center