News Archive / Tagged: Kourou French Guiana

• Vega launches Earth-observing satellite for Morocco

  Tomasz NowakowskiNovember 21st, 2018

  Using Europe’s light-lift Vega launcher, Arianespace orbited the Mohammed VI-B Earth-observing satellite for the Kingdom of Morocco.

• Ariane 5 rocket begins BepiColombo’s journey to Mercury

  Tomasz NowakowskiOctober 19th, 2018

  Lighting up the skies above the jungles of French Guiana, an Ariane 5 rocket sent a multi-faceted and international mission on its way to the planet Mercury.

• 100th flight of Ariane 5 rocket orbits 2 telecommunications satellites

  Tomasz NowakowskiSeptember 25th, 2018

  KOUROU, French Guiana -- Europe’s flagship heavy-lift Ariane 5 rocket flew to space for the 100th time in history on Tuesday, delivering the Horizons 3e and Azerspace-2/Intelsat 38 telecommunications satellites into orbit.

• Vega soars into the sky with ESA’s Aeolus wind-monitoring satellite

  Tomasz NowakowskiAugust 22nd, 2018

  Arianespace successfully sent Europe’s wind-monitoring satellite named Aeolus to orbit on Wednesday, Aug. 22. The France-based firm used the smallest launch vehicle in its catalog, Vega, to carry out the first part of Aeolus's mission underway.

• 4 Galileo navigation satellites sent aloft by Ariane 5

  Heather SmithJuly 25th, 2018

  After a nearly four-month-long mission gap, Arianespace launched an Ariane 5 ES rocket from its South American spaceport in French Guiana to send four Galileo navigation satellites into orbit for Europe’s global navigation satellite system.

• Soyuz ST-B launcher lofts O3b quartet to orbit

  Tomasz NowakowskiMarch 9th, 2018

  Arianespace successfully conducted its second launch this year on Friday, March 9 lofting four O3b communications satellites to orbit.

• Two halves of James Webb Space Telescope come together for testing in California

  Curt GodwinFebruary 6th, 2018

  After years of development, and having undertaken rounds of discrete testing, the two major components of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have arrived in California for fully-integrated testing. The flagship mission is referred to as the scientific successor to the stalwart Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and is set to launch on an Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket in the Spring of 2019 from Kourou, French Guiana.

• Ariane 5 rocket places 2 satellites into orbit despite telemetry anomaly

  Tomasz NowakowskiJanuary 25th, 2018

  Arianespace conducted its first mission of 2018 by launching its workhorse Ariane 5 booster with the SES-14 and Al Yah 3 communications satellites. However, the outcome of the flight remained a mystery for several hours as telemetry cut off just after ignition of the upper stage of the rocket.

• First Ariane 5 flight of 2018 to deliver SES-14 and Al Yah 3 communications satellites into orbit

  Tomasz NowakowskiJanuary 24th, 2018

  On Thursday, January 25, Europe’s flagship Ariane 5 booster is scheduled to fly for the first time this year. The rocket is being prepared to orbit the SES-14 and Al Yah 3 communications satellites.

• Ariane 5 poised to be retired

  Collin SkocikJanuary 11th, 2018

  After more than twenty years in service, the Ariane 5 rocket is going to stop flying. The European rocket was first flown in June of 1996, and ArianeSpace has now ordered the last ten Ariane 5 launchers.

• Ariane 5 Flight VA240 launches four Galileo satellites

  Collin SkocikDecember 13th, 2017

  At 3:36 p.m. local time (1:36 p.m. EST / 18:36 GMT) on December 12, 2017, an Ariane 5 rocket lifted off from the European Space Agency (ESA)’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, carrying four Galileo satellites, bringing the total number of spacecraft in the Galileo constellation to 22.

• Vega rocket sends MOHAMMED VI–A satellite to orbit on next-to-last Kourou flight of 2017

  Jason RhianNovember 7th, 2017

  Lighting the skies above the jungles of Kourou, French Guiana, an Arianespace Vega rocket lifted off from the Kourou Space Centre's ELV at 10:42 p.m. GFT (8:42 p.m. EST) on November 7 (01:42 GMT on Nov. 8), 2017. The payload for this flight was the MOHAMMED VI–A satellite which Vega sent on its way to a Sun-synchronous orbit.

• Arianespace poised to launch Vega with MOHAMMED VI–A satellite

  Jason RhianNovember 5th, 2017

  Arianespace is ready to launch the MOHAMMED VI–A satellite on behalf of the Kingdom of Morocco on November 7, 2017, at 10:42 p.m. local time (01:42 GMT Nov. 8). The spacecraft is slated to lift off from the Guiana Space Centre's Vega Launch Complex (SLV) and will mark the 10th flight of the year for the Courcouronnes, Essonne, France-based firm. 

• Arianespace closes the first half of 2017 with launch of Flight VA238

  Curt GodwinJune 28th, 2017

  After a minor technical glitch interrupted the countdown for five minutes, Arianespace's Ariane 5 rocket, Flight VA238, left the pad at the Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, at 5:15 p.m. EDT (21:15 GMT) on June 28, 2017, to deploy two satellites – Hellas Sat 3 / Inmarsat S EAN and GSAT-17 – into a geostationary transfer orbit (GTO).

• Arianespace to close out June with Flight VA238 launch of two satellites

  Curt GodwinJune 26th, 2017

  Final preparations are underway for the launch of two satellites aboard Arianespace's workhorse Ariane 5 rocket for delivery to geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO). The launch is scheduled for Wednesday, June 28, 2017, during a 77-minute window opening at 4:59 p.m. EDT (20:59 GMT).