Thanks to visit codestin.com
Credit goes to www.scribd.com

Scribd
Upload
69 views1 page

European Spaceport, Kourou, French Guiana

The European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana was chosen in 1964 as the site to launch satellites due to its proximity to the equator, which allows for launches into important orbits using less fuel. The spaceport has launched many European and international satellites safely since the 1970s on rockets like Ariane. It has extensive facilities and offers launches from 102 degrees, enabling a wide range of missions.

Uploaded by

Raúl Infante
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
69 views1 page

European Spaceport, Kourou, French Guiana

The European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana was chosen in 1964 as the site to launch satellites due to its proximity to the equator, which allows for launches into important orbits using less fuel. The spaceport has launched many European and international satellites safely since the 1970s on rockets like Ariane. It has extensive facilities and offers launches from 102 degrees, enabling a wide range of missions.

Uploaded by

Raúl Infante
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 1

European Spaceport, Kourou, French Guiana

Aerial view of the Ariane 5 launch pad and surrounding buildings at the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. (Image: ESA)

The ATV will be launched from the European it ideally placed for launches into geostationary
Spaceport in French Guiana. It covers an area of transfer orbit as few changes have to be made to
750 km2 and is surrounded on two sides by a satellite’s trajectory.
equatorial forest. To the east it has a 50 km
coastline bordering the Atlantic Ocean and to the Launchers also profit from the ‘slingshot’ effect
south lies the town of Kourou. created by the speed of the Earth’s rotation
around the axis of the Poles. This increases the
In 1964 the French Government chose Kourou, speed of a launcher by 460 m per second. These
from 14 other sites, as a base from which to launch important factors save fuel and money, and
its satellites. When the European Space Agency prolong the active life of satellites.
came into being in 1975, the French Government
offered to share the site with ESA. For its part, ESA Thanks to its geographical position, Europe’s
approved funding to upgrade the launch facilities at Spaceport offers a launch angle of 102°, enabling
the site to prepare the Spaceport for the Ariane a wide range of missions from east to north. In
launchers under development. fact, Europe’s Spaceport is so well placed that it
can carry out all possible space missions.
Since then, ESA has continued to fund two thirds
of the Spaceport's annual budget to finance the Safety is equally important. French Guiana is
operations and services and also finances new scarcely populated and 90% of the country is
facilities to accommodate new launchers such as covered by equatorial forests. In addition there is
Vega or for the exploitation of Soyuz. To date, no risk of cyclones or earthquakes.
ESA has invested more than €1.6 billion in
improving and developing the ground facilities at The high levels of efficiency, safety and reliability
Europe’s Spaceport and owns the special at Europe’s Spaceport are well known. In addition
infrastructure built for the Ariane launchers. to its many European clients, the spaceport also
undertakes launches for industries in the United
Kourou lies at latitude 5°3', just over 500 km north States, Japan, Canada, India and Brazil.
of the equator. Its nearness to the equator makes

You might also like