Guiana Space Center

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Map of the Center Spatial Guyanais

The Guiana Space Center (short CSG from French Guiana Space Center , and English Guiana Space Center ) at Kourou in French Guiana (South America) is a space station since 1979 by the Ariane - rocket of the European space transport company Arianespace launch. There are also launch systems for Soyuz and Vega missiles. The landlord is the French space agency CNES .

geography

The CSG is one of the most conveniently located launch sites in the world. It is only 580.2 km from the equator (5 ° 13'18``N). As a result, the earth's rotation gives a rocket launched there a horizontal speed contribution of 461 m / s (towards the east). In addition, in the case of a launch near the equator, it is easier to bring geostationary satellites into the geostationary transfer orbit in order to reach the geostationary orbit . Another advantage of the location is that the take-off direction to reach the most important orbits approached by the launch vehicles (the geostationary transfer orbit and the sun-synchronous orbit ) is across the Atlantic, so no people are endangered when the rocket launches. There are no settlements or farm buildings around the starting base, instead there are extensive forests and swamp areas towards the coast.

In addition, there is no risk of earthquakes or tropical cyclones .

story

French Space Center 1964–1975

The space center was built by France in 1964. In the same year, the first rocket , a sounding rocket of the Véronique type , was launched there . The first launch vehicle launched from the CSG was a Diamant . From March 10, 1970 to September 27, 1975, five diamond B and three diamond BP4 started from CSG. On November 5, 1971, the only launch of a Europa-2 rocket took place here, from the launch pad ELE (l'Ensemble de Lancement Europa) built for this type .

Foundation of ESA, launch pad ELA-1

The decommissioned launch pad ELA-2

When ESA was founded in 1975, it was also available for its activities. In order to be prepared for the common European Ariane rocket, the ELA launch pad (Ensemble de Lancement Ariane (?)) Was converted between 1975 and 1978, which was financed exclusively by ESA. After the renovation, the first launch of an Ariane 1 took place on December 24, 1979 from the launch pad now known as ELA-1 . The ELA-1 launch pad could also be used for these due to the great similarity between Ariane 1 and its successor models Ariane 2 and 3 . After the last launch of an Ariane 3 on July 11, 1989, the launch pad ELA-1 was shut down.

1988/89: launch pads ELA-2 and 3

Launch site ELA-3 of Ariane 5 in the Guiana Space Center. The four masts are lightning rod towers
View of the ESA Center Spatial Guyanais (CSG)
Jupiter control center from Center Spatial Guyanais

The new ELA-2 launch pad was built for Ariane 4 , the first of which was launched on July 15, 1988. The first launch of ELA-2 took place on March 26, 1986 with an Ariane 3. After the last launch of an Ariane 4 on February 15, 2003, the launch pad ELA-2 was shut down. A new launch ramp had to be built for the completely newly developed Ariane 5 , which was named ELA-3 . The first Ariane 5 was launched on June 4, 1996.

2004: Start ramps ELS, ELV

At the beginning of 2004, construction began on the ELS (l'Ensemble de Lancement Soyouz) launch pad for the Russian Soyuz rockets. The first launch was planned for summer 2011, but was postponed to October 2011. A Russian-European treaty was concluded for this purpose, which allows the European space agencies to use Soyuz rockets for their own purposes. In return, the corresponding Russian organizations are allowed to carry out launches from Kourou as an alternative to their own spaceport in Baikonur ( Kazakhstan ). From the CSG, the Soyuz can transport heavier payloads into space because of the shorter distance to the equator. For ESA, the cooperation offers commercial customers a more cost-effective alternative to the Ariane 5 rocket for medium payloads; While the transport of around ten tons through the Ariane costs around 150 million euros, the Soyuz rocket transports around three tons into geostationary orbit at about half the price. The first launch took place on October 21, 2011 and transported the first two satellites of the European satellite navigation system Galileo into orbit.

At the end of 2004, work began on converting the ELA-1 launch pad in order to be able to launch the newly developed European launch vehicle Vega for smaller payloads between 300 and 2500 kg from this launch pad, now known as the ELV (l'Ensemble de Lancement Vega) . The first launch took place as a qualification flight on February 13, 2012 and transported nine satellites, including seven picosatellites from European universities, into orbit.

2017: Launch pad ELA-4

The new ELA-4 launch pad has been under construction for Ariane 6 since 2017. The first launch from there is targeted for 2022.

Starting operation

Launches can also be booked by non-European companies and space organizations with the launch provider Arianespace , which will take over the launch of an ESA rocket from ESA and carry out the other launches. For this purpose, Arianespace buys the rockets or parts of them from the manufacturers selected by the ESA. In addition, ESA pays two thirds of the annual operating costs of the Center Spatial Guyanais.

Infrastructure

The spaceport infrastructure consists of buildings for the launch preparation of rockets and satellites, launch ramps, the launch control center and a rocket fuel factory. There are currently three launch ramps: the now decommissioned launch ramps ELA-1 for Ariane 1, Ariane 2 and 3 and ELA-2 for Ariane 4. The currently (2012) active launch ramps are ELA-3 for Ariane 5 and ELS for Soyuz Missiles and ELV for Vega missiles.

Fire protection is ensured by a department of the Paris Fire Brigade ( Brigade de sapeurs-pompiers de Paris ; part of the French Army ), while the National Gendarmerie and the Foreign Legion are responsible for protecting the site.

The rocket launch site and associated facilities such as fuel production are responsible for 20% of the country's electricity consumption. An ambitious plan aims to reduce dependence on national electricity production and generate 90% of the energy required by 2025, thereby reducing carbon dioxide emissions and achieving climate targets before the deadline. Two measures are planned for this: Solar fields with an output of 10 MW peak are to deliver electricity from 2023. Two biomass units are to use the waste heat from the building cooling. The aim is to save 50 GWh per year and reduce the ecological footprint by 45,000 tons of carbon dioxide. The solar cells are supposed to charge fuel cells. The biomass plants, under the management of an independent operator, will generate biogas that will then be used to cool the building.

Launch ramps

Start statistics

Economical meaning

The space center is of paramount economic importance for Guyane . As early as 1995 it contributed 30% of the total gross domestic product of the overseas department .

literature

  • Ralf Butscher: Large train station on the equator . Bild der Wissenschaft 1/2005, pp. 88-93 (2005), ISSN  0006-2375
  • Kourou. In: FliegerRevue , No. 2/1991, pp. 62–67

Web links

Commons : Center Spatial Guyanais  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Launching Satellites . EUMETSAT . Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  2. ↑ Bernd Leitenberger: European launchers volume 1. From the Diamant to Ariane 4 - Europe's rocky road into orbit. Books on Demand, Norderstedt 2009, ISBN 3837095916 , p. 300.
  3. ↑ Worldwide Launch Schedule. Spaceflight Now, January 9, 2011, accessed February 20, 2011 .
  4. ^ Galileo: Europe readies itself for October launch. Arianespace, May 23, 2011, accessed on May 28, 2011 (English): “The two Galileo satellites will be deployed using a Soyuz launcher. The October launch will mark Soyuz 'inaugural flight from its new launch facilities at the CSG. "
  5. ↑ New "Soyuz" rocket ramp. Spiegel Online, March 1, 2011, accessed March 1, 2011 .
  6. ^ Neue Zürcher Zeitung: Double premiere in Kourou. October 21, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2011 .
  7. ↑ ESA's new Vega launcher scores success on maiden flight. ESA, February 13, 2012, accessed February 13, 2012 .
  8. ↑ Europe proposes launcher alliance . Spacenews, June 22, 2021.
  9. ↑ ESA and CNES choose renewable energy to power Europe's Spaceport. Accessed November 6, 2020 .
  10. ^ Launch log - Arianespace. In: arianespace.com. Retrieved December 24, 2019 .
  11. ^ François-Marie Morvan: Courrier de l'Évêché de Cayenne , Noël 1995 edition, p. 1.

Coordinates: 5 ° 13 ′ 18 "  N , 52 ° 45 ′ 14"  W.