Guiana Space Centre

The Guiana Space Centre (Centre Spatial Guyanais, CSG), often referred to as Europe’s Spaceport, is a major space launch facility located near the town of Kourou in French Guiana, an overseas department and region of France in South America. Situated approximately 500 kilometres north of the Equator at a latitude of about 5°, the site has been operational since 1968 and serves as the primary spaceport for European orbital launches.
The Guiana Space Centre is internationally recognised for its strategic geographic advantages, extensive launch infrastructure, and its central role in Europe’s independent access to space. Launch operations at CSG are conducted through cooperation between European governmental agencies and private aerospace companies.

Location and strategic importance

The selection of Kourou as a launch site was driven primarily by its near-equatorial location, which provides significant performance advantages for space launches. Rockets launched close to the Equator benefit from the Earth’s rotational velocity, reducing the amount of propellant required to reach orbit. This advantage is particularly important for geostationary and low-inclination orbits, where payload capacity can be substantially increased compared to launches from higher latitudes.
Another key factor is the open sea to the east and north of the launch site. As rockets typically launch eastward to exploit Earth’s rotation, discarded stages and debris fall safely into the Atlantic Ocean, minimising risks to populated areas and enhancing overall launch safety.

Governance and operations

The land of the Guiana Space Centre is managed by CNES (Centre National d’Études Spatiales), the French national space agency. The launch infrastructure constructed on the site is owned by the European Space Agency (ESA), which funds approximately two-thirds of the spaceport’s annual budget.
Launch operations are conducted by Arianespace, a commercial launch services provider responsible for mission planning, customer relations, and coordination of launch preparation activities. The launch vehicles themselves are designed and manufactured by specialised aerospace companies, most notably ArianeGroup for the Ariane programme and Avio for the Vega family of rockets.

Historical development

In 1964, French Guiana was selected to replace France’s earlier launch site at Hammaguir in Algeria, which became unavailable following Algerian independence. The first launch from Kourou took place in 1968, marking the beginning of the Guiana Space Centre’s operational history.
In 1975, France formally offered the site to ESA as a shared European spaceport, establishing Kourou as the cornerstone of Europe’s space launch capability. Since then, ESA has financed major infrastructure upgrades, particularly during the development of the Ariane launcher family.
In April 2017, launch activities were temporarily suspended when the space centre was occupied during widespread social unrest in French Guiana. Operations resumed later that month following the approval of a substantial emergency relief and development plan by the French government.

Launch complexes and facilities

Over its history, the Guiana Space Centre has hosted multiple launch complexes designed to support different generations of launch vehicles.

Diamant launch pad and ELM

The first launch pad at Kourou was built in 1969 for the Diamant rocket, with the inaugural launch occurring in 1970. After being decommissioned in 1975, the site remained unused for decades. From 2019, the pad began a process of reactivation to support new microlauncher vehicles. It is being redeveloped as ELM (Ensemble de Lancement Multilanceurs), intended for use by several European launch start-ups, with initial launches expected from the mid-2020s.

ELA-1 and ELV

Originally constructed in the 1960s for the Europa rocket programme, the pad was later rebuilt as ELA-1, the first Ariane launch complex. It supported launches of Ariane 1, 2, and 3 until its retirement in 1989. In 2001, it was refurbished again and renamed ELV to accommodate the Vega rocket, which conducted its first launch from the site in 2012.

ELA-2

The ELA-2 complex was built in 1986 and used primarily for Ariane 4 launches between 1988 and 2003. The facility featured separate zones for launcher preparation and launch operations, connected by a mobile service tower. Following the retirement of Ariane 4, the complex was dismantled, with its service tower demolished in 2011.

ELA-3

Operational from 1996 to 2023, ELA-3 served as the launch complex for the Ariane 5 rocket, one of the most reliable heavy-lift launch vehicles in history. The site supported more than two decades of commercial and institutional missions. It is planned to be adapted in the future for Vega-E operations.

ELA-4

ELA-4 is the newest launch complex at the Guiana Space Centre and was purpose-built for the Ariane 6 launcher. Construction began in 2015 and involved extensive earthworks, cryogenic storage facilities, and a new flame trench. The facility was officially inaugurated in September 2021, with the first flight of Ariane 6 taking place on 9 July 2024, marking a new phase in Europe’s launch capability.

ELS (Soyuz launch complex)

The ELS complex was constructed by ESA to support launches of Soyuz-2 rockets from Kourou as part of a Russo-European cooperation agreement. The first Soyuz launch from the site occurred in October 2011, significantly increasing payload performance due to the near-equatorial location.
Following geopolitical developments and international sanctions related to the Russo-Ukrainian War, Soyuz operations at CSG were suspended in 2022, and cooperation was formally terminated. In 2024, CNES initiated a call for new operators to repurpose the ELS site, with MaiaSpace selected to develop launches using its Maa rocket from the mid-2020s.

Payload performance advantages

The Guiana Space Centre offers exceptional payload performance, particularly for geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) missions. Compared with high-latitude launch sites, rockets launched from Kourou can carry significantly heavier payloads using the same vehicle configuration. This advantage has been a major factor in the commercial success of the Ariane programme and Europe’s competitiveness in the global launch market.

Assembly and integration facilities

CSG includes extensive assembly, integration, and testing infrastructure. Launch vehicles are assembled in dedicated launcher integration buildings, while payloads are prepared in clean-room environments before being mated to rockets shortly before launch. These facilities enable parallel processing of multiple missions, improving launch cadence and operational efficiency.