ELA-4 LAUNCH COMPLEX INAUGURATED AT GUIANA SPACE CENTRE
Tuesday 28 September, in the presence of Sébastien Lecornu, Minister for Overseas Territories, CNES Chairman & CEO Philippe Baptiste and ESA Director of Space Transportation Daniel Neuenschwander inaugurated the ELA-4 launch complex built to operate Ariane 6, alongside André-Hubert Roussel, CEO of ArianeGroup—Ariane 6 designer and manufacturer—Stéphane Israël, CEO of Arianespace—Ariane 6 commercial operator—and Gabriel Serville, President of the French Guiana regional authority (CTG).
After eight years of work, ELA-4 is now complete. This new launch pad at the Guiana Space Centre (CSG) is the eighth built in French Guiana by CNES with its industry partners, following in the footsteps of those for Diamant, Europa, Ariane 1, 4 and 5, Vega and Soyuz. Construction of the 170-hectare complex entailed 900,000 m3 of earthworks, 55,000 m3 of concrete and 8,000 m3 of structural steelwork, with 600 people working at the site, 75% of them employed locally. ELA-4 comprises the concrete launch pad foundation as well as all of the structures and systems required for final assembly and launch operations, from the embedded launch table and the mobile gantry to the umbilical mast.
ELA-4’s design is driven by the dual goal of cutting launch costs and preserving the environment. Cost reductions will be achieved by integrating the launcher horizontally and automating operations, while environmental aspects were addressed head on from the outset, starting with initial archaeological excavation work in the sand quarries and continuing through to the wildlife inventory leading the CSG to cede 1,336 hectares of land to the Conservatoire du littoral—the French coastal conservancy—to offset constructions.
ESA and ArianeGroup now have the launch facilities to operate the future Ariane 6 scheduled to enter service in 2022. One of the chief expected benefits of this new European launcher is its great versatility, giving it the flexibility to accommodate a broad spectrum of missions and serve even the most complex requirements of both institutional and commercial customers.
CONTACTS
Pascale Bresson Press Officer Tel: +33 (0)1 44 76 75 39 pascale.bresson@cnes.fr
Raphaël Sart Head of Media Tel: +33 (0)1 44 76 74 51 raphael.sart@cnes.fr
