Ensemble de Lancement Soyouz
Encyclopedia
The Ensemble de Lancement Soyouz (ELS) (in English; Soyuz Launch Complex), is a launch complex at the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou
/Sinnamary
, French Guiana
. It is used by Soyuz-ST rockets; modified versions of the Soyuz-2 optimised for launch from Kourou.
The first launch to use the complex occurred on 21 October 2011, when a Soyuz-STB launched the first two Galileo IOV-1 & IOV-2 spacecraft.
The location of the launch site allows a greater mass of payload to be placed into geosynchronous transfer orbit compared to existing Soyuz launch facilities at the Baikonur Cosmodrome
in Kazakhstan
.
ELS is fifteen kilometres Northwest of the launch facilities used by Ariane
rockets.
It consists of a single launch pad, with a horizontal assembly and processing facility, or MIK
, located 700 metres away. As with the Soyuz launch complexes at Baikonur and Plesetsk
, the pad is connected to the MIK by means of a railway, which the rocket is rolled along prior to erection at the pad.
Unlike other Soyuz launch complexes, a Mobile Service Tower is present on the complex, and the payload is installed in the vertical position instead of the horizontal.
It also differs in having a fixed launch mount, rather than one which can be rotated, meaning that the rocket may need to execute a roll manoeuvre during its ascent to orbit. Earlier R-7 rockets were incapable of rolling, so their launch complexes were built to allow launch azimuth to be adjusted before launch.
Kourou
Kourou is a commune in French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America.Kourou is the location of the Guiana Space Centre, France and ESA's main spaceport.-Geography:...
/Sinnamary
Sinnamary
Sinnamary is a town and commune on the coast of French Guiana, between Kourou and Iracoubo. Sinnamary was the second French settlement to be founded in French Guiana: the town was founded in 1664....
, French Guiana
French Guiana
French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west...
. It is used by Soyuz-ST rockets; modified versions of the Soyuz-2 optimised for launch from Kourou.
The first launch to use the complex occurred on 21 October 2011, when a Soyuz-STB launched the first two Galileo IOV-1 & IOV-2 spacecraft.
The location of the launch site allows a greater mass of payload to be placed into geosynchronous transfer orbit compared to existing Soyuz launch facilities at the Baikonur Cosmodrome
Baikonur Cosmodrome
The Baikonur Cosmodrome , also called Tyuratam, is the world's first and largest operational space launch facility. It is located in the desert steppe of Kazakhstan, about east of the Aral Sea, north of the Syr Darya river, near Tyuratam railway station, at 90 meters above sea level...
in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
.
ELS is fifteen kilometres Northwest of the launch facilities used by Ariane
Ariane
Ariane is a feminine name. It is a French translation of the Greek name Ariadne. It may refer to:-People:* Princess Ariane of the Netherlands * Ariane Ascaride , French actress and screenwriter...
rockets.
It consists of a single launch pad, with a horizontal assembly and processing facility, or MIK
MIK
MIK could refer to:* Methyl isopropyl ketone, a solvent* Micklefield railway station, England; National Rail station code MIK.* FC MiK Kaluga - * MIK Code page* Mikkeli Airport, Finland; IATA airport code MIK.* Multiple-indicator kriging...
, located 700 metres away. As with the Soyuz launch complexes at Baikonur and Plesetsk
Plesetsk Cosmodrome
Plesetsk Cosmodrome is a Russian spaceport, located in Arkhangelsk Oblast, about 800 km north of Moscow and approximately 200 km south of Arkhangelsk.-Overview:...
, the pad is connected to the MIK by means of a railway, which the rocket is rolled along prior to erection at the pad.
Unlike other Soyuz launch complexes, a Mobile Service Tower is present on the complex, and the payload is installed in the vertical position instead of the horizontal.
It also differs in having a fixed launch mount, rather than one which can be rotated, meaning that the rocket may need to execute a roll manoeuvre during its ascent to orbit. Earlier R-7 rockets were incapable of rolling, so their launch complexes were built to allow launch azimuth to be adjusted before launch.