The Guiana space centre (French: Centre Spatial Guyanais) is a French/European spaceport near Kourou in French Guiana. Operational since 1968, it is particularly suitable as a location for a spaceport due to its proximity to the equator, and the fact that launches in the favourable direction are over water. The European Space Agency as well as the commercial Arianespace company launch their satellites from Kourou.

The spaceport was selected in 1964 to become the spaceport of France. When the European Space Agency (ESA) was founded in 1975, France offered to share Kourou with ESA. Commercial launches are bought also by non-European companies. ESA pays two thirds of the spaceport's annual budget, and has also financed the upgrades made during the development of the Ariane launchers. The ground facilities include launcher and satellite preparation buildings, launch operation facilities and a solid propellant factory.

The ESA is currently building facilities for launching Russian built Soyuz rockets from this spaceport. Under the terms of a Russo-European joint venture, ESA will augment its own launch vehicle fleet with Soyuz rockets (and use them to launch ESA and/or commercial payloads) and the Russians will get access to the Kourou spaceport for launching own payloads with Soyuz rockets. They will thus use the Guiana space centre as an alternative to their Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan launching site, with the benefit of significant added payload capability due to closer proximity to the equator.

Kourou is located only 500 km north of the equator, at a latitude of 5 degrees. At this latitude, the Earth's rotation gives an additional velocity of almost 500 m/s. In addition, maneuvering the satellites to the desired orbit is usually simpler when the launch is made close to the equator.

External links

• Centre Spatial Guyanais
• Europe's Spaceport - Information from ESA
• Europe's Spaceport - Information from Arianespace