News Archive / Tagged: Kourou French Guiana

• Arianespace opens June with record launch of two heavy telecom satellites on Flight VA237

  Curt GodwinJune 1st, 2017

  Amidst rain showers dotting the area surrounding the spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, Arianespace successfully delivered two telecommunications satellites to geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO). Flight VA237 saw the Ariane 5 lift off the pad at 7:45 p.m. EDT (23:45 GMT) on June 1, 2017, marking the launch provider's sixth mission of the year and earning a new record in the process.

• Ariane 5 Flight VA237 set for record launch with heavy telecom satellites

  Curt GodwinMay 30th, 2017

  Arianespace gears up for a record launch of its Ariane 5 on Flight VA237 with a heavy pair of telecommunications satellites: ViaSat-2 and EUTELSAT 172B. Liftoff from the spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. is scheduled for June 1, 2017, during a 1-hour launch window opening at 7:45 p.m. EDT (23:45 GMT).

• Arianespace tallies up another successful mission with launch of two telecom satellites

  Curt GodwinMay 4th, 2017

  More than a month after its initial planned launch was delayed by a "social movement" in the French South American overseas department, Arianespace's Flight VA236 finally departed from the Guiana Space Center and delivered two telecommunication satellites to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO).

• Strikes in French Guiana halt launches at Guiana Space Centre

  Bart LeahyMarch 29th, 2017

  KOUROU, French Guiana — Mass protests, driven by unions and public outcry over crime rates and unemployment issues, have shut down operations at France’s Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. While space exploration is not a central issue in the protests, union members have gone on strike at the spaceport to call attention to the problems facing the French department.

• Arianespace delays launch of Ariane 5 Flight VA236 due to ‘social movement’

  Curt GodwinMarch 20th, 2017

  Arianespace has announced a 24-hour delay, at least, of Flight VA236 due to a "social movement" at The Spaceport in French Guiana. It is not entirely clear what constitutes a "social movement", though there are reports that indicate the workers who are responsible for the rollout of the vehicle to the ELA-3 launch site called for a strike.

• Arianespace set to launch two telecom satellites in second Ariane 5 mission of 2017

  Curt GodwinMarch 20th, 2017

  Arianespace is gearing up to loft two communication satellites aboard its workhorse Ariane 5 rocket. Flight VA236 is set to launch from the spaceport in French Guiana in a nearly 3-hour launch window opening at 4:31 p.m. EDT (20:31 GMT) on Tuesday, March 21, 2017.

• Arianespace successfully deploys two communication satellites in first Ariane 5 launch of 2017

  Curt GodwinFebruary 14th, 2017

  Arianespace notched another successful mission with the launch of its Ariane 5 rocket with two communication satellites – SKY Brasil-1 and Telkom 3S. This marks the first Ariane 5 launch of the year for Arianespace and follows their successful Soyuz launch just 17 days prior.

• Arianespace to open 2017 launch manifest with Hispasat 36W-1

  Curt GodwinJanuary 26th, 2017

  Multinational launch provider Arianespace is gearing up to launch the Hispasat 36W-1 telecommunications satellite – alternatively known as Hispasat AG1 – from their spaceport facility in Kourou, French Guiana, and will be their first in 2017. Launch of the new-model communications satellite is set for Jan. 27, 2017, with a liftoff time of 8:03 p.m. EST (01:03 GMT on January 28).

• Ariane 5 soars into the sky with Star One D1, JCSAT-15 satellites

  Tomasz NowakowskiDecember 21st, 2016

  KOUROU, French Guiana — Arianespace successfully launched one of its flagship Ariane 5 heavy-lift rockets carrying a dual payload for Brazil and Japan. The launch vehicle, with the Star One D1 and JCSAT-15 communication satellites, took to the skies at 5:30 p.m. local time (20:30 GMT / 3:30 p.m. EST) from the ELA-3 launch complex at the Guiana Space Center.

• Arianespace to launch two communication satellites for Brazil and Japan

  Tomasz NowakowskiDecember 19th, 2016

  Arianespace is gearing up for its last orbital mission of the year that will see two communication satellites lifting off atop an Ariane 5 booster. The rocket, carrying Brazil’s Star One D1 and JCSAT-15 for Japan, will liftoff on Wednesday, Dec. 21, at 5:30 p.m. local time (20:30 GMT / 3:30 p.m. EST).

• Vega Rocket carries Göktürk-1 into orbit

  Jose FloresDecember 5th, 2016

  KOUROU, French Guiana — Like an arrow shot into the sky, a Vega rocket leapt off the pad at Guyana Space Center's Vega Launch Complex (SLV), carrying the Göktürk-1 into orbit. Arianespace's tenth mission of the year, designated VV08, took off on Monday, Dec. 5, 2016, at 13:51 GMT and successfully inserted Göktürk-1 into a Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) at 14:49 GMT.

• Vega rocket to send Turkish Earth-observing satellite into orbit

  Tomasz NowakowskiDecember 3rd, 2016

  Arianespace is gearing up for its tenth mission of the year that will launch the Göktürk-1 Earth-observing spacecraft for the Turkish Armed Forces. The satellite will be launched by the company’s light-lift Vega booster on Dec. 5 at 13:51 GMT (8:51 a.m. EST) from the Vega Launch Complex (SLV) in Kourou, French Guiana.

• Ariane 5 booster soars into orbit with four Galileo navigation satellites

  Tomasz NowakowskiNovember 17th, 2016

  Thundering off from the launch pad at the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, an Ariane 5 rocket took to the skies on Thursday, Nov. 17, to replenish Europe’s Galileo navigation network. The booster, carrying four Galileo FOC (Full Operational Capability) satellites, lifted off at 10:06 a.m. local time (8:06 a.m. EST / 13:06 GMT).

• Ariane 5 to launch a quartet of Galileo navigation satellites into orbit

  Tomasz NowakowskiNovember 15th, 2016

  Arianespace is all set to launch four new navigation satellites for Europe’s Galileo network atop an Ariane 5 launcher. The rocket will lift off at 10:06 a.m. local time (8:06 a.m. EST / 13:06 GMT) Nov. 17 from the ELA-3 launch pad at the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana.

• Ariane 5 launches GSAT-18, Sky Muster II commsats

  Tomasz NowakowskiOctober 5th, 2016

  An Ariane 5 booster has successfully lifted off from Kourou, French Guiana, at 5:30 p.m. local time (4:30 p.m. EDT; 20:30 GMT) on Wednesday, Oct. 5, carrying a duo of communications satellites. The mission, designated VA231 in Arianespace’s numbering system, was launched from the Ariane Launch Complex № 3 (ELA-3).