Ensemble de Lancement Soyouz

ELS ( Ensemble de Lancement Soyuz ) is a launch pad of the Guiana Space Centre (CSG ) in Kourou, French Guiana, the Soyuz rocket can be launched from the Russian type. The first launch of a Soyuz ST, also called Soyuz STK, with two European Galileo navigation satellite as a payload on 21 October 2011.

Location

The launch site is located in the north-western part of the CSG. The distance from the town of Kourou is 27 km, 20 km from the active Ariane launch system ELA -3 and 18 km from the town of Sinnamary on whose premises the ELS is located. It is located north of the road RN1 can be started so that unimpeded north across the sea. Overall, the ELS- site is 1.2 km ², of which 20,000 m² are overbuilt. In the launch pad a 20- pound stone was built by the Soyuz launch pad in Baikonur at the groundbreaking ceremony in 2007, in 1961 launched the first manned space flight by Yuri Gagarin.

Construction

The terrain is divided into two areas: the preparation area (zone de Preparation, ZP ) and the starting area (zone de Lancement, ZL).

At the edge of the prep area is the control center ( Centre de Lancement CDL ). Its roof consists of a 2 m thick layer of concrete. In the middle of the preparation area, about 625 m away from the launch site, the MIK integration building is ( Montazhno - Ispitatielniï Korpoussagrandi ). It is 92 m long, 41 m wide and 22 m high. The Soyuz rocket, the Fregat upper stage and the first stage booster will be prepared in it. As is usual in Russia, the rocket horizontally layered case and is then transported on rails to the launch pad.

At the launch site arrived, the rocket is positioned vertically and (called the tulip ) in four radial upward pivoted steel cantilever mounted, carrying the rocket and release after engine ignition. The Soyuz launch facility at Baikonur, the base of these arms can be rotated to allow different firing directions, which was necessary for the older Soyuz versions with analog flight control that could not adapt to the azimuth of the web. In CSG only Soyuz versions must be used with digital flight control with active azimuth adjustment so that the base of 16 m diameter and 300 t mass could be tightly assembled.

The mobile gantry MBO ( Mobilnaïa Bachnia Obslouzhivania ) comprises the missile before launch. It is 53 m high, 29 m deep, 24 m wide and has a mass of 800 t. It allows 11 floors access to the rocket. From it, the payload is mounted. Notwithstanding that applied to the Russian launch sites procedure to assemble the rocket including payload completely in the horizontal position, the Fregat upper stage together with the payload with her ​​disguise on ELS after erecting the support with the steps 1 to 3 on the boot table placed in a vertical position.

Also close to the launch site four large masts, which serve as a lightning rod and storage tanks for liquid fuels.