ESA ATV-5 Georges Lemaître: Testing the solar panels for ATV-5

The solar panels for ATV Georges Lemaître undergoing testing at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. 

The launch of ATV-5 on board an Ariane-5 is scheduled for 25 July 2014.

Credits: ESA-CNES-Arianespace /Optique Video du CSG - S. Martin

ESA Sentinel-1A arrives in Kourou - Video

The Sentinel-1A radar satellite has arrived at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana to be prepared over the coming weeks for launch on 3 April 

Credits: ESA–M. Shafiq

Sentinel-1 is the first satellite dedicated to Europe’s Copernicus environmental monitoring programme.

This new satellite carries an advanced synthetic aperture radar that works in several specialised modes to provide detailed imagery for monitoring the oceans, including shipping lanes, sea ice and oil spills.



It also provides data to map changing land cover, ground deformation, ice shelves and glaciers, and can be used to help emergency response when disasters such as floods strike and to support humanitarian relief efforts at times of crisis.

ESA Ariane 5 VA 213 with ATV-4 on board

Ariane 5 VA 213 during transfer from the BAF (Final Assembly Building) to the launch pad, 4 June, 2013.

ESA’s fourth Automated Transfer Vehicle, Albert Einstein, is ready for launch on an Ariane 5 to the International Space Station on 5 June, 2013, from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

Liftoff is set for 23:52 CEST (21:52 GMT), and three hours and four minutes later the vessel will separate from the launcher to begin ten days of health checks and orbital manoeuvres, bringing it to an automated docking with the Station on 15 June, 2013.

For more images, please click here.

Credits: ESA–S. Corvaja, 2013

ESA ATV Albert Einstein: Fully fuelled at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana

ATV Albert Einstein is fuelled at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. 

Automated Transfer Vehicles (ATVs) carry two types of propellant to the International Space Station. 

Aside from its own propellants, the space ferry brings propellants for the Russian Station thrusters. 

They are loaded in four phases - and each component is highly toxic. 

All non-essential personnel are cleared from the room and operators wear sealed 'scape suits' at all times during fuelling. 

Image courtesy ESA/CNES/Arianespace/Optique Video du CSG.

Automated Transfer Vehicles (ATVs) can deliver up to 7 tonnes of cargo to the International Space Station, including supplies and equipment, water, air, nitrogen, oxygen and fuel.

As the Space Station circles Earth, it slowly loses altitude so ATVs reboost the orbit to keep it aloft.

Part of ATV's cargo includes propellants for the Station's own thrusters to keep the orbital outpost at the right height even when no spacecraft are there to offer a helping hand.

Loading the fuel is a complex and hazardous process that takes place over many days during continuous sessions of up to 30 hours.

Should there be a leak, the operators are protected by 'scape suits' that deliver fresh air and are sealed off from the working environment, much like diving suits.

The operators must remain vigilant at all times, constantly checking progress and signs of leaks. To make matters more complicated, ATV own propellants are different to those used by the International Space Station itself, requiring different equipment each time.

Both fuels need separate oxidisers for combustion outside of Earth's atmosphere. The oxidisers are also loaded separately, meaning that four different liquids are being pumped into Albert Einstein's tanks in total.

ESA Ariane-5 Rocket Launch from Kourou

An ESA Ariane-5 rocket blasts off from the European space centre at Kourou, French Guiana

Picture: JEROME VALLETTE/AFP/GettyImages

ESA Meteosat Second Generation: Watch MSG-3 launch on 5th July 2012

MSG-3 is planned for launch in July 2012 from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. MSG-3 is the third in a planned series of four satellites operated by Eumetsat, the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites.

The satellites return highly detailed imagery of Europe, the North Atlantic and Africa every 15 minutes for use by meteorologists and national weather forecasters.

Along with keeping track of cloud development and temperature to improve weather forecasting accuracy, MSG-3 has two secondary objectives in the areas of radiation and rescue.

Shortly after liftoff from Kourou, French Guiana, MSG-3 will be injected into geostationary orbit at an altitude of 36 000 km over the equator.

Credits: ESA/CNES/Arianespace/Optique Video du CSG-J.M.Guillon

ESA Vega Lift-Off: Inaugural Flight Of European Rocket

The small payload rocket launched from French Guiana on February 13, 2012. It will deploy nine satellites.
Credit: ESA

ESA: Vega VV01 waiting on Launch Pad, Kourou

ESA’s new Vega rocket is now fully assembled on its launch pad. Final preparations are in full swing for the rocket’s inaugural flight.

Flight VV01 will lift off from the new Vega launch site at Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, carrying nine satellites into orbit: the LARES laser relativity satellite and ALMASat-1 from ASI with seven CubeSats from European Universities.

For further information, please visit: www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Vega/

Soyuz ESA Arianespace: - Mission Liftoff! Soyuz begins its maiden mission

The first Soyuz has lifted off from French Guiana, initiating a 3-hour 49-minute inaugural flight for Arianespace’s medium-lift launcher that will orbit the initial two spacecraft in Europe’s Galileo satellite navigation system.

Soyuz departed the Spaceport’s new ELS launch complex at 07:30:26 a.m. local time in French Guiana – a precise liftoff time that enables the pair of Galileo satellites to be injected into their proper orbital plane.

With a total payload performance of 1,580 kg. – including 700 kg. for each of the Galileo platforms – the Soyuz is to deliver its passengers into a 23,222-km. circular medium-Earth orbit, inclined 54.7 degrees.

This maiden flight marks Soyuz’ introduction into the company’s growing launcher family, joining its heavy-lift Ariane 5 in operations from the Spaceport. The two launchers are to be complemented by the lightweight Vega in 2012.

Soyuz is one of the world’s most utilized launchers, having ushered in the space age and logging more than 1,770 missions to date from its two other launch bases: Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and Russia’s Plesetsk Cosmodrome.

• Watch the launch live with Arianespace’s real-time video broadcast.
• Arianespace’s VS01 launch kit has additional details on this milestone mission.

ESA Galileo Soyuz Launch: The Upper Composite moved into position

Here the Galileo satellites, inside the fairing, are carefully lifted to be placed onto the Soyuz Launcher.

Soyuz flight VS01 will launch the first Galileo satellites into orbit on October 20th 2011. This historic launch not only sees the first Galileo satellites in orbit, but also the first launch of a Soyuz launcher from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

For further information on this historic launch please visit: www.esa.int/Galileo_IOV/

For a slideshow of Soyuz in preparation for launch, please visit: www.flickr.com//photos/esa_events/

Credits: ESA, S.Corvaja 2011

Galileo Satellites positioned on Fregat final stage

The first Galileo satellites positioned on the Fregat Upper Stage and dispenser, ahead of their launch on 20 October 2011.

These satellites will be placed into orbit by the first Soyuz flight from Europe's Spaceport, Kourou in French Guiana.

For more great images of Galileo and further information on this historic launch, please visit: www.esa.int/GalileoIOV

Credits: ESA, CNES, Arianespace, Optique Video du CSG, S.Martin


Soyuz Fregat - Cargo Dispenser

The high-performance Fregat space tug originated as a propulsion stage for the Soviet Mars probes. It was later adapted for many deep-space missions, thanks to its ability to fire its engine multiple times and function in space for prolonged periods.

Technical specifications of the Fregat upper stage (118; 207)

ESA Galileo: Soyuz VS01 on the launch pad

Soyuz VS01, the first Soyuz flight from Europe’s Spaceport, Kourou in French Guyana, will lift off on 20 October 2011.

The rocket will carry the first two satellites of Europe’s Galileo navigation system into orbit.

For detailed information about this historic launch, please visit: www.esa.int/Galileo_IOV/

Roscosmos to launch Soyuz from Kourou for first time - despite loss of Progress-M

The maiden flight of a Soyuz from Europe's space base will go ahead as scheduled on October 20, as it is a different version from the rocket involved in Wednesday's launch failure by Russia, Arianespace said on Thursday.

"The problem that occurred yesterday is linked to a third-stage motor, and the Soyuz model that we will be using uses a different third stage," Jean-Yves Le Gall, president and chief executive of the launch company, told AFP.

"It is not the same version of the rocket."

The European Space Agency (ESA) and Russia are deploying Soyuz at Kourou, French Guiana, under a 2003 accord to provide a mid-sized launcher for Arianespace, which markets ESA's launch vehicles.

The model that will be deployed there is a Soyuz-ST, a spinoff of the Soyuz-2. It is designed to take nearly three tonnes into geostationary transfer orbit.

Its first flight will lift the first two staellites in Europe's Galileo navigation system, the competitor to the US Global Positioning System (GPS).

"In principle, the launch date of October 20 is confirmed, because the Soyuz being used for Galileo is not impacted by yesterday's failure," said Le Gall.

An unnamed Russian official told the Interfax news agency on Thursday that "the launch of Soyuz carrier rockets" had been suspended until the loss of a unmanned craft taking cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) had been explained.

The move has caused a ripple of concern for the crew of the ISS, as the Soyuz, a workhorse of space for half a century, is used both as a launcher for cargo and for passenger vehicles.

If the Soyuz-launched Progress freigher is out of operation, that will leave the ISS with ESA's Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) and Japan's H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV).

The latest ATV, Edoardo Amaldi, is currently being brought by ship to Kourou.

"Its scheduled launch is February 28 2012," said Le Gall, who said there was "a small margin" for bringing it forward if need be, but this would only be by a few days given the tight schedule.

The ISS has capsules moored to the station enabling all crew onboard to return to Earth, either on scheduled missions or in an emergency.

ESA Galileo: Soyuz launchers arrive at French Guiana

Soyuz ST-B launchers at Kourou harbour

The two Soyuz launchers that will fly the first four satellites of Europe’s Galileo navigation system into orbit have arrived at Kourou harbour in French Guiana, completing a journey that took them halfway round the world.

The first two Galileo In Orbit Validation satellites are set to be launched from Europe’s Spaceport on 20 October, with two more following them into orbit by mid-2012.

The October launch will be the first flight of a Soyuz rocket from French Guiana.

	First Soyuz launch this October

The two Soyuz ST-B launchers and their Fregat-MT upper stages were carried across the Atlantic aboard Arianespace vessel MN Colibri, arriving on 18 June.

The rocket hardware left by train from the Soyuz manufacturing plant in Samara, Russia and the Fregat factory in Moscow to St Petersburg harbour, where it was loaded for shipment, leaving on 3 June for French Guiana.

The next step will be the Launcher Flight Readiness Review, due to take place on 21 July. Authorisation will then be given to begin assembling the rocket hardware and deployingthe initial Soyuz ST-B launcher for the first Galileo campaign.

The first two Galileo satellites – known as PFM and FM2, for Protoflight Model and Flight Model 2 – are currently undergoing their final qualification and acceptance tests at Thales Alenia Space in Rome, Italy.

Once Satellite Flight Readiness Review has given the green light, both satellites and their ground equipment and launch teams will arrive at the beginning of September for the launch campaign.

Soyuz ST-B is the most powerful version of the famous Soyuz launcher, while the Fregat-MT is an upgraded version of the Fregat upper stage.

Soyuz is in the launch zone at Kourou, ESA's Spaceport

The latest addition to Arianespace's launcher family made its world debut at the vehicle's new base of operations, as the first Soyuz was rolled out to the Spaceport's launch pad in French Guiana.

This historic event began in the morning hours, when the Russian-built medium-lift workhorse vehicle emerged from its MIK integration facility in the Spaceport's northwest zone for a 600-meter transfer to the launch zone.

It marked the start of a "dry run" validation of procedures that will replicate all aspects of a Soyuz mission's typical multi-day final preparation phase at the Spaceport - except for the vehicle's actual fueling.

For this dry run, the process will continue to the final countdown on May 4, when it will be purposely stopped - allowing procedures to be confirmed in the scenario of a launch-day interruption. The final countdown will be resumed on May 5, with a simulated liftoff and downrange mission trajectory.

The vehicle involved in this exercise is a flight-worthy launcher that will be used for a future mission after Soyuz enters service beginning later this year. It is one of two launchers that have been delivered from Russia to French Guiana.

Based on the processing flow established for Soyuz missions at the Spaceport, the three-stage launcher had been horizontally integrated in the MIK facility and was rolled out to the launch zone on a transporter/erector rail car.

The Soyuz vehicle - composed of its four first-stage strap-on boosters, the Block A core second stage, and the Block I third stage - was then raised into position over the massive concrete launch pad by the transporter/erector, where it was then suspended in position with the use of the launch pad's four primary support arms at mid-day.

During the afternoon hours, the 52-meter-tall mobile gantry that was developed specifically for Soyuz operations at the Spaceport moved into position around the vehicle, allowing delivery and integration of the launcher's upper composite in the evening.

This upper composite consists of a Fregat upper stage and the ST-type payload fairing. For the dry-run exercise, the upper composite did not contain an actual payload.

ESA Ariane 5: Second successful launch for 2011

An Ariane 5 launcher has lifted off from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana on its mission to place two telecommunications satellites, Yahsat Y1A and Intelsat New Dawn, into their planned transfer orbits. Flight VA201 was the second Ariane 5 launch of 2011.

Liftoff of the 57th Ariane 5 mission came at 23:37 CEST (21:37 GMT; 18:37 French Guiana) on Friday night.

The target injection orbit had a perigee altitude of 250 km, an apogee altitude at injection of 35 962 km and an inclination of 6 degrees.

The satellites were accurately injected into their transfer orbits about 27 minutes and 35 minutes after liftoff, respectively.

Yahsat Y1A will be positioned above the equator at 52.5E. It will provide innovative broadband solutions for Internet, business data and high-definition television services to institutional and commercial customers in the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Southeast Asian.

Intelsat New Dawn, to be positioned over 32.8E, will offer a wide range of services to Africa, including telephony, Internet, media and data networks.

The payload mass for this launch was 10 064 kg; the satellites totalled 8965 kg, with payload adapters and dispensers making up the additional 1099 kg.

With a total mass of over 10 t, it is the heaviest payload ever launched by an Ariane 5 ECA. This was made possible by detailed post-flight analyses to fully exploit the propulsion potential of each stage. Further performance increases are in the pipeline to keep up with the trend towards heavier telecom satellites.

Arianespace and Europe's Spaceport are planning four more Ariane launches in 2011, maintaining the heavy-lift vehicle's flight rate.

Arianespace: Soyuz at the Guiana Space Centre: Soyuz Consultation

Arianespace - Press Release - Soyuz at the Guiana Space Centre: Soyuz Consultation Committee sets inaugural launch for fourth quarter of 2010

The Soyuz Consultation Committee, comprising representatives of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, the European Space Agency (ESA), the French space agency CNES and Arianespace, met on Tuesday, May 11 in French Guiana. It confirmed that the inaugural launch of Soyuz from the Guiana Space Center would take place during the fourth quarter of 2010.

The meeting was called to take note of actual work progress on the Soyuz launch pad at the Guiana Space Center, and to approve the overall timetable for assembly and testing leading up to the inaugural launch.

Nearly all Russian and European systems are now undergoing qualification. The first Soyuz launcher to lift off from the Guiana Space Center is already assembled in the Preparation and Testing Building.

The meeting of the Soyuz Consultative Committee was co-chaired by Anatoli Perminov, Director of Roscosmos, Jean-Jacques Dordain, Director-General of ESA, Yannick d’Escatha, President of CNES, and Jean-Yves Le Gall, Chairman and CEO of Arianespace. Also participating in the meeting were the heads of the ESA Launcher Directorate, the Guiana Space Center, the CNES Launcher Directorate, the Samara TsSKB-Progress space center (prime contractor for the Soyuz launch system), NPO-Lavotchkine (prime contractor for the Fregat upper stage) and TsENKI (prime contractor for ground infrastructures).

With Ariane 5, Soyuz and Vega all deployed from the Guiana Space Centre, Europe will offer a complete range of launch vehicles, enabling it to meet the full range of requirements for all Arianespace customers.

ESA Johannes Kepler: Second ATV heading to Kourou for launch

The second of ESA’s ATV automated cargo craft has been cleared for shipping to the launch site in Kourou. Its launch on an Ariane 5 to the International Space Station is scheduled for late this year.

ATV-2, named after German astronomer and mathematician Johannes Kepler, has undergone extensive system testing at EADS Astrium’s site in Bremen, Germany, over the last few months and has now been given the go-ahead for shipping.

It will be dispatched to Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana in several sections, accompanied by 59 containers with test equipment. In Kourou, it will be assembled and extensively tested before being loaded with cargo and fuelled. The launch is now planned for the end of 2010.

"After an internal review of ATV Johannes Kepler, we have given Astrium 'consent-to-ship', which is an important milestone," says Simonetta Di Pippo, ESA Director for Human Spaceflight.

"This demonstrates the ability of European industry under the lead of Astrium to provide the requested status of the vehicle on time and with the requested quality."

"When the US Space Shuttle retires, ATV will be the largest vehicle supplying the ISS. Considering its technological challenges, like automatic rendezvous & docking, ATV is the most sophisticated space vehicle ever built in Europe."

"The technology and experience gained with ATV are assets for Europe and its industrial competitiveness as well as a solid basis for further developments to position Europe among the leaders in the exploitation and exploration of space, in low Earth orbit and beyond," Di Pippo adds.

For more information, check out the ESA portal and ATV site

ESA: Galileo GPS Ground Station in Kourou Space Centre

The site of a ground station for Galileo, Europe's global navigation satellite system, inside the Guiana Space Centre (CSG), near Kourou in French Guiana, was inaugurated on 19 November.


The site, which was made available by France's Centre national d'etudes spatiales (CNES), will play an essential role in the setting up of the Galileo system, since it will accommodate the most comprehensive of the Galileo ground segment stations.

The Kourou station will consist of a telemetry, tracking and command (TT and C) station to monitor and control the Galileo constellation satellites, a sensor station (GSS) for acquisition of the satellite navigation signals, and two uplink stations (ULS) for transmission of navigation and integrity messages to the satellites.

In all, the Galileo ground segment for the in-orbit validation phase (IOV) will comprise 18 sensor stations, 5 uplink stations, 2 telemetry, tracking and command stations, and 2 Galileo Control Centres (GCCs). The Control Centres will be situated at Fucino in Italy and Oberpfaffenhofen in Germany.

The data gathered by the sensor stations will be continuously transmitted to the GCCs where they will be processed by mission control in order to determine the navigation and integrity messages to be sent back to the satellites via the uplink stations.

The Galileo system's capability to directly inform its users of the integrity level of its signal represents a major advance compared to other satellite navigation systems.

The inauguration of the Kourou site marks an important stage in the in-orbit validation phase of the Galileo programme developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) in cooperation with the European Commission. The first of the Galileo constellation satellites will be launched at the end of 2010 atop a Soyuz rocket that will lift off from the CSG.

Subsequently, the Galileo ground station at Kourou will evolve as the system - which will consist of 30 satellites - is built up to full deployment, with the addition of 2 ULS antennas and 2 further redundant GSS channels, producing the final configuration. CNES will be responsible for site security and infrastructure maintenance during the operational phase.

The site was inaugurated in the presence of Rene Oosterlinck, Director of the Galileo programme and navigation-related activities at ESA, and of Joël Barre, Director of CNES/CSG.

"I have been working on this project since 1998 and am happy to be here today at the CSG for the inauguration of this site. The ground network is just as important to Galileo as the 30 satellites that will transmit the data to users. Now we are all awaiting the launch of the satellites scheduled for end-2010", said Mr Oosterlinck.

ESA: Galileo GPS Ground Station inaugerated in Kourou Space Centre

The site of a ground station for Galileo, Europe's global navigation satellite system, inside the Guiana Space Centre (CSG), near Kourou in French Guiana, was inaugurated on 19 November 2009.


The site, which was made available by France's Centre national d'etudes spatiales (CNES), will play an essential role in the setting up of the Galileo system, since it will accommodate the most comprehensive of the Galileo ground segment stations.

The Kourou station will consist of a telemetry, tracking and command (TT and C) station to monitor and control the Galileo constellation satellites, a sensor station (GSS) for acquisition of the satellite navigation signals, and two uplink stations (ULS) for transmission of navigation and integrity messages to the satellites.

The site was inaugurated in the presence of Rene Oosterlinck, Director of the Galileo programme and navigation-related activities at ESA, and of Joël Barre, Director of CNES/CSG. Credits: ESA/CNES/ARIANESPACE - Photo Optique Video CSG, P. Baudon, 2009