Launch site | Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG) | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Location | 5°15′54″N 52°47′31″W / 5.265°N 52.792°W | ||||||||
Time zone | UTC−03 (GFT) | ||||||||
Short name | ELA-4 | ||||||||
Established | September 2021 | ||||||||
Operator | Arianespace · ESA | ||||||||
Total launches | 0 | ||||||||
Launch pad(s) | 1 | ||||||||
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ELA-4 (French: Ensemble de Lancement Ariane 4, lit. 'Ariane Launch Complex 4'), is a launch pad and associated facilities at the Centre Spatial Guyanais in French Guiana located along the Route de l'Espace in the Roche Christine site, between ELA-3 and ELS launch facilities. The complex is composed of a launch pad with mobile gantry, an horizontal assembly building and a dedicated launch operations building. ELA-4 is operated by Arianespace as part of the Ariane 6 program. As of November 2022 the first launch is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2023.
History
CNES was responsible for the construction of the Ariane 6 ground segments including the new launch pad. Earthworks on the 170 hectare launch site began at the end of June 2015 and was completed at the start of 2016. Four platforms were levelled to accommodate the launch pad, the liquid oxygen and hydrogen tanks and the assembly building. Civil engineering works on the flame trench and other buildings began in the summer of 2016 and ended in 2019.[1][2] The launch facility was inaugurated on 28 September 2021 in presence of most of the 600 workers employed at the site, 75% of which recruited locally.[3]
- Earthworks for the flame trench in August 2017
- Horizontal assembly building construction in 2017
- ELA-4 under construction in November 2019
- Closeup view of the pad's flame diverters in 2019
Scheduled flights
Date Time (UTC) |
Rocket type Serial No. |
Payload | Orbit | Customers | Launch status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
June 2024[4] | Ariane 62 | Multiple rideshare payloads[5] | LEO | PTS, TU Berlin, ArianeGroup, BarcelonaTech, NASA, TUKE, University of Lisbon | Planned |
Q4 2024[4] | Ariane 62 | CSO-3 | SSO | CNES / DGA | Planned |
H1 2025[6] | Ariane 64 | MTG-S1[7] | GTO | EUMETSAT | Planned |
2025[4][8] | Ariane 62 | Galileo FOC FM 29, 30 | MEO | ESA | Planned |
2025[4][8] | Ariane 62 | Galileo FOC FM 31, 32 | MEO | ESA | Planned |
2025[8] | Ariane 62 | Galileo FOC FM 33, 34 | MEO | ESA | Planned |
2025[9] | Ariane 64 | Intelsat-41, 44 | GTO | Intelsat | Planned |
2025[4][10] | Ariane 64 | Optus-11 | GTO | Optus | Planned |
2025[4][11][12] | Ariane 64 | Uhura-1 (Node-1)[13] | GTO | Skyloom | Planned |
2025[14] | Ariane 6 | Galileo G2 1 | MEO | ESA | Planned |
Q2 2026[6] | Ariane 64[15] | MTG-I2[16] | GTO | EUMETSAT | Planned |
H1 2026[17] | Ariane 64 | Intelsat 45 | GTO | Intelsat | Planned |
Q4 2026[18] | Ariane 64 | Multi-Launch Service (MLS) #1 rideshare mission | GTO | TBA | Planned |
2026[19] | Ariane 62[20] | PLATO | Sun–Earth L2 | ESA | Planned |
Q4 2027[18] | Ariane 64 | MLS #2 rideshare mission | GTO | TBA | Planned |
2027[21] | Ariane 64 | Earth Return Orbiter | Areocentric | ESA | Planned |
Q4 2028[18] | Ariane 64 | MLS #3 rideshare mission | GTO | TBA | Planned |
Q3 2029[18] | Ariane 64 | MLS #4 rideshare mission | GTO | TBA | Planned |
2029[22] | Ariane 62 | ARIEL, Comet Interceptor | Sun–Earth L2 | ESA | Planned |
2030[23][24] | Ariane 64 | Heracles EL3 (Argonaut) | TLI | ESA | Planned |
2035[25] | Ariane 64[26] | Athena | Sun–Earth L2, Halo orbit |
ESA | Planned |
TBD[27] | Ariane 64 | 18 launches of Project Kuiper (35–40 satellites)[28] | LEO | Kuiper Systems | Planned |
TBD[29] | Ariane 64 | ALINA | TLI | Planetary Transportation Systems | Planned |
TBD[30] | Ariane 62 | Electra | GTO | SES S.A. / ESA | Planned |
See also
References
- ↑ "The Ariane 6 system: On board-ground interfaces and launch facility" (PDF) (in French). CNES. 4 November 2015. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
- ↑ "Ariane 6". ESA. 5 November 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
- ↑ "ELA-4 launch complex inaugurated at Guiana Space Centre". CNES. 28 September 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Foust, Jeff (30 November 2023). "ESA sets mid-2024 date for first Ariane 6 launch". SpaceNews. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ↑ "ESA selects payloads for Ariane 6 first flight". ESA. 11 February 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
- 1 2 "Meteosat series". EUMETSAT. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ↑ Krebs, Gunter (22 August 2020). "MTG-S 1, 2 (Meteosat 13, 16 / Sentinel 4A, 4B)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
- 1 2 3 "Arianespace to launch eight new Galileo satellites". Arianespace (Press release). 6 January 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
- ↑ "Arianespace Ariane 6 to launch Intelsat satellites". Arianespace (Press release). 30 November 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ↑ "Arianespace to launch Australian satellite Optus-11 with Ariane 6". Arianespace (Press release). 17 November 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ↑ "Space Compass and Skyloom Sign a Term Sheet to Bring Optical Data Relay Services to the Earth Observation Market". Business Wire (Press release). 6 September 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
- ↑ "Skyloom signs contract with Arianespace for first launch". Arianespace. 27 September 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
- ↑ @Arianespace (9 September 2021). "We are proud to launch Skyloom's 1st satellite Uhura-1 aboard an Ariane 6 in 2023. This laser-coms relay node will be a game changer for the industry. Congratulations to CEO Marcos Franceschini on this huge milestone" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ↑ Jewett, Rachel (26 June 2023). "ESA Awards GMV $218M Contract for Galileo 2nd Gen Ground System". Via Satellite. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ↑ "EUMETSAT to exploit ESA-developed launchers and flight operations software". EUMETSAT. 2 December 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
- ↑ Krebs, Gunter (10 September 2022). "MTG-I 1, 2, 3, 4 (Meteosat 12, 14, 15, 17)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
- ↑ Foust, Jeff (12 September 2023). "Arianespace to launch Intelsat small GEO satellite". SpaceNews.com. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
- ↑ "Planet-hunting eye of PLATO". ESA. 5 March 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
- ↑ "Mission Operations". ESA. 13 January 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
- ↑ "Earth Return Orbiter – the first round-trip to Mars". ESA. 7 April 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ↑ "ARIEL moves from blueprint to reality" (Press release). ESA. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
- ↑ Foust, Jeff (21 October 2022). "ESA finalizes package for ministerial". SpaceNews. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ↑ "Argonaut – European Large Logistics Lander". ESA. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ↑ "Athena | Mission Summary". ESA. 2 May 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
- ↑ "Athena X-ray observatory | Athena mission". Athena Community Office. Archived from the original on 6 February 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
- ↑ "Arianespace signs unprecedented contract with Amazon for 18 Ariane 6 launches to deploy Project Kuiper constellation". Arianespace (Press release). 5 April 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
- ↑ Foust, Jeff (5 April 2022). "Amazon launch contracts drive changes to launch vehicle production". SpaceNews. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ↑ Baylor, Michael. "Ariane 64 - Alina lander". Next Spaceflight. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
- ↑ "SENER designs the mechanisms for the assembly of Electra, the first European commercial satellite with electric propulsion". SENER (Press release). 10 September 2019. Archived from the original on 4 January 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2021.