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.
Investor Brief
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.
Ownership
Parent Entity
Capex
Regulatory Regime
Anchor Tenants
Latitude Advantage
Launch Azimuth Range
Employees
Country
🇫🇷France
Region
Europe
Established
1,968
Launches / Year
812
Years Active
58
Strategic Position
5.2361° N, 52.7689° W
Azimuth: -10.5 deg to 93.5 deg (GTO, SSO, ISS-inclination)
5.2 deg N — ~17% energy bonus for GEO vs. Cape Canaveral (28.5 deg N); the closest operational major spaceport to the equator
Future Milestones
- 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
About
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.
Key Features
Near-equatorial location (5.2 deg N) provides 17% payload bonus for GEO launches
Three launch complexes: ELA-4 (Ariane 6), ELA-1/SLV (Vega-C), and ELS (formerly Soyuz)
Europe's only orbital launch site — critical strategic infrastructure
Launch corridors over Atlantic Ocean in both northern and eastern directions
Operated jointly by CNES (French space agency) and ESA
Rockets That Launch Here
Companies Operating Here
Orbit Types
Notable Launches
Ariane 1 (1979) — Europe's first successful orbital launch
Ariane 5 ECA (2002-2023) — Workhorse for GEO satellite deployment
James Webb Space Telescope (2021) — Launched on Ariane 5
Ariane 6 maiden flight (July 2024) — Europe's next-generation launcher
JUICE (2023) — Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer on Ariane 5
Upcoming Launches From This Site
Next missions scheduled to fly from Guiana Space Centre
- Provider
- Arianespace
- Rocket
- Ariane 64 Block 2
- NET
- Pad
- Ariane Launch Area 4
- Provider
- Arianespace
- Rocket
- Ariane 62
- NET
- Pad
- Ariane Launch Area 4
- Provider
- Avio S.p.A
- Rocket
- Vega-C
- NET
- Pad
- Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV)
- Provider
- Arianespace
- Rocket
- Ariane 62
- NET
- Pad
- Ariane Launch Area 4
Recent Launches From This Site
Most recent missions flown from Guiana Space Centre
- Vega | Pléiades Neo 3ArianespaceSuccess
- Ariane 5 ECA+ | Star One D2 & Eutelsat QuantumArianespaceSuccess
- Vega | Pléiades Neo 4ArianespaceSuccess
- Soyuz STB/Fregat | OneWeb 13ArianespaceSuccess
- Ariane 5 ECA+ | Measat-3d & GSAT 24ArianespaceSuccess
- Vega-C | LARES-2 (Maiden flight)European Space AgencySuccess