ESA / CNES · Kourou, French Guiana, France
Launch Pads
3 (ELA-4 Ariane 6, ZLV Vega-C, ELS Soyuz-retired 2022)as of [1]Annual Launches
4–8as of [1]Ariane 6 cadence ramping post-2024 return-to-flight; Vega-C return TBDMax Payload (LEO)
10,735 kg to GTO (Ariane 6.4, dual-payload)as of [2]Established
1968
The Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, is Europe's primary spaceport and one of the most strategically located launch sites in the world. Its near-equatorial position at 5 degrees North provides a significant energy boost for geostationary launches, making it the departure point for all Ariane, Vega, and (historically) Soyuz missions for ESA.
| Region | Europe |
| Country | 🇫🇷 France |
| Coordinates | 5.2361° N, -52.7689° E |
| Ownership | International Consortium |
| Parent Entity | ESA + CNES (France) |
| Regulatory Regime | ESA Convention + French Space Operations Act (LOS, 2008) under CNES oversight |
| Latitude Advantage | 5.2 deg N — ~17% energy bonus for GEO vs. Cape Canaveral (28.5 deg N); the closest operational major spaceport to the equator |
| Azimuth Range | -10.5 deg to 93.5 deg (GTO, SSO, ISS-inclination) |
| Employees | ~1,700 (CNES/CSG + Arianespace + industrial partners on-site) |
| Website | https://www.cnes-csg.fr |
Anchor Tenants
Active Users
Strategic Value
Sole sovereign European gateway to orbit. Without Kourou, ESA member states have no independent access to GEO — a non-negotiable strategic asset reinforced post-Russia-Ukraine when Soyuz operations from ELS ended in 2022.
Recent Activity
Ariane 6 inaugural flight on 9 July 2024 — first sovereign European heavy-lift launch since Ariane 5 retired in July 2023; Vega-C return-to-flight on 5 Dec 2024 after 2-year grounding.
2026
Ariane 6 ramp to 6+ flights/year, including Galileo and Kuiper batches
2026
MaiaSpace Maia reusable mini-launcher maiden flight from former Soyuz ELS pad
2027
Themis reusable-stage demonstrator vertical hop tests at Diamant site
2030
Ariane Next / European reusable heavy-lift successor preliminary design review