Building the Soyuz launch facility

Credit: esa.int

Activity is continuing at the Guiana Space Centre (Centre Spatial Guyanais - CSG), Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana, as the Soyuz launch site takes shape. Soyuz is a medium-class launcher and its performance will perfectly complement that of the other ESA launchers, Ariane and Vega.

On the spaceport's new launch pad, the infrastructure that maintains Soyuz in its erected position prior to launch is being completed. In the nearby launcher assembly and testing building (монтажно-испытательный корпус; montazhno-ispytatelniy korpus - MIK), ground support equipment for Soyuz integration is being prepared.

This new launch facility for the venerable Soyuz vehicle is located 12 kilometres northwest of the existing Ariane 5 launch complex, extending the spaceport's operational zone further up the French Guiana coastline.

The horizontal transfer of Soyuz launchers at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana will follow the same basic procedures used for Soyuz operations at Baikonur Cosmodrome. The image shows the rollout of the Soyuz FG launcher and Soyuz TMA-15 spacecraft that lifted off from the cosmodrome on 27 May 2009 with a three-member crew for the International Space Station.

Read more: esa.int