About the Soyuz Launch Complex at Kourou ...
The Soyuz launch site ay Kourou combines the proven design elements from the long-existing launch site at Baikonur Cosmodrome with satellite integration procedures that are in concert with the spacecraft processing used for Ariane missions.
Located 12 kilometers northwest from the existing Ariane 5 launch complex, the new Soyuz facility extends the kourou's operational zone further up the French Guiana coastline.
The assembly of Soyuz vehicles is handled horizontally in the launcher integration building, maintaining the same process used for the more than 1,770 Soyuz missions performed from Baikonur.
The Soyuz’ transfer to the Kourou’s launch zone is performed with the launcher riding horizontally atop a transporter/erector rail car. Soyuz is then raised into position on the pad, and in contrast with the Baikonur Cosmodrome processing flow, is protected by a gantry that moves into place for payload integration.
The Soyuz launcher integration building will handle launcher integration and checkout of the assembled three-stage basic vehicle. It currently is being built as part of the major construction work underway at the Spaceport's Soyuz launch zone.
Launcher stages are delivered via a rear receiving dock, and vehicle assembly is performed inside the integration building's air conditioned main bay. The launcher's assembly is handled horizontally, following the same proven procedures used for Soyuz vehicles at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia.
The Spaceport's assembly building is 92 meters long, 41 meters wide, and 22 meters tall. It will be equipped with two traveling cranes for handling launcher segments, along with a rail system for the movement and integration of the stages. Completed Soyuz vehicles depart the building on a transporter/erector rail car, which is rolled out to the launch pad for erection, payload integration, final checkout and launch.
Launch zone
The Soyuz launch zone is dominated by its multi-level launch pad and a massive 149-meter wide X 123-meter long flame duct excavated into layers of soil and granite - making it one of the largest civil construction programs in French Guiana.
Configured after the launch sites at Baikonur and Plesetsk Cosmodromes, the Spaceport's Soyuz launch zone ensures the same acoustic and environmental conditions as experienced during more than 1,700 liftoffs performed from the facilities in Kazakhstan and Russia.
The Spaceport's launch pad is 63.5 meters long, 45.3 meters wide and 16 meters deep. This five-level reinforced concrete structure houses mission equipment, and the top two levels have 15-meter wide openings for the launch table and the erected Soyuz vehicle. Its upper area accommodates the launch pad infrastructure, including service tower, fueling booms and erector.
Where the Spaceport's installation differs from Soyuz Cosmodrome launch sites is the use of an eight-level, mobile launch service tower. This 53-meter tall, 24-meter wide structure is rolled from its parked position onto the launch pad, providing a controlled working environment for the vertical integration of Soyuz' upper composite - consisting of the mission payload, Fregat upper stage and payload fairing.
Soyuz' service startup at the Spaceport in October 2011 introduced an updated version of this medium-lift workhorse launcher in side-by-side operations with Arianespace's proven heavy-lift Ariane 5, to be joined in 2012 by the new lightweight Vega.
The upgraded Soyuz – with its modernized avionics, improved-performance third stage, and enlarged payload fairing – was validated in multiple successful launches from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia.
Soyuz flights from the Spaceport are managed by Arianespace's seasoned mission team members – many of whom already have direct Soyuz experience through commercial launches performed from Baikonur Cosmodrome by the company's Starsem affiliate. In addition, Spaceport operations are supported by the same Russian companies that have long overseen both manned and unmanned Soyuz missions.
The maiden flight of Soyuz at the Spaceport was an on-target mission that orbited two Galileo In-Orbit Validation (IOV) spacecraft on October 21, 2011.
Preparation area
The Soyuz launcher integration building will handle launcher integration and checkout of the assembled three-stage basic vehicle. It currently is being built as part of the major construction work underway at the Spaceport's Soyuz launch zone.
Launcher stages are delivered via a rear receiving dock, and vehicle assembly is performed inside the integration building's air conditioned main bay. The launcher's assembly is handled horizontally, following the same proven procedures used for Soyuz vehicles at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia.The Spaceport's assembly building is 92 meters long, 41 meters wide, and 22 meters tall. It will be equipped with two traveling cranes for handling launcher segments, along with a rail system for the movement and integration of the stages. Completed Soyuz vehicles depart the building on a transporter/erector rail car, which is rolled out to the launch pad for erection, payload integration, final checkout and launch.
Launch zone
The Soyuz launch zone is dominated by its multi-level launch pad and a massive 149-meter wide X 123-meter long flame duct excavated into layers of soil and granite - making it one of the largest civil construction programs in French Guiana.Configured after the launch sites at Baikonur and Plesetsk Cosmodromes, the Spaceport's Soyuz launch zone ensures the same acoustic and environmental conditions as experienced during more than 1,700 liftoffs performed from the facilities in Kazakhstan and Russia.
The Spaceport's launch pad is 63.5 meters long, 45.3 meters wide and 16 meters deep. This five-level reinforced concrete structure houses mission equipment, and the top two levels have 15-meter wide openings for the launch table and the erected Soyuz vehicle. Its upper area accommodates the launch pad infrastructure, including service tower, fueling booms and erector.
Where the Spaceport's installation differs from Soyuz Cosmodrome launch sites is the use of an eight-level, mobile launch service tower. This 53-meter tall, 24-meter wide structure is rolled from its parked position onto the launch pad, providing a controlled working environment for the vertical integration of Soyuz' upper composite - consisting of the mission payload, Fregat upper stage and payload fairing.
Entry into service
Soyuz' service startup at the Spaceport in October 2011 introduced an updated version of this medium-lift workhorse launcher in side-by-side operations with Arianespace's proven heavy-lift Ariane 5, to be joined in 2012 by the new lightweight Vega.The upgraded Soyuz – with its modernized avionics, improved-performance third stage, and enlarged payload fairing – was validated in multiple successful launches from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia.
Soyuz flights from the Spaceport are managed by Arianespace's seasoned mission team members – many of whom already have direct Soyuz experience through commercial launches performed from Baikonur Cosmodrome by the company's Starsem affiliate. In addition, Spaceport operations are supported by the same Russian companies that have long overseen both manned and unmanned Soyuz missions.
The maiden flight of Soyuz at the Spaceport was an on-target mission that orbited two Galileo In-Orbit Validation (IOV) spacecraft on October 21, 2011.
Soyuz launch site facts:
- The launch site is located 12 kilometers northwest from the Ariane 5 launch complex
- The launch vehicle’s assembly building is 92 meters long, 41 meters wide, and 22 meters tall
- Soyuz’s launch site is configured after the Russian Baikonur and Plesetsk Cosmodromes but with a new mobile launch service tower
- Assembly of Soyuz launchers is performed horizontally inside the launcher integration building, with payload integration performed vertically on the launch pad
(Source: Arianespace and Youtube)
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