ELA-4

ELA-4 (French: Ensemble de Lancement Ariane 4, lit. 'Ariane Launch Complex 4'), is a launch pad and associated facilities at the Centre Spatial Guyanais in French Guiana located along the Route de l'Espace in the Roche Christine site, between ELA-3 and ELS launch facilities. The complex is composed of a launch pad with mobile gantry, an horizontal assembly building and a dedicated launch operations building. ELA-4 is operated by Arianespace as part of the Ariane 6 program. As of November 2022 the first launch is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2023.

Ensemble de Lancement Ariane 4
Aerial view of ELA-4 in December 2021
Launch siteCentre Spatial Guyanais (CSG)
Location5.265°N 52.792°W / 5.265; -52.792
Time zoneUTC−03 (GFT)
Short nameELA-4
EstablishedSeptember 2021 (2021-09)
OperatorArianespace · ESA
Total launches0
Launch pad(s)1
Launch history
StatusActive
First launchQ4 2023
Ariane 6 / Multiple Rideshare
Associated
rockets		Ariane 6

History

CNES was responsible for the construction of the Ariane 6 ground segments including the new launch pad. Earthworks on the 170 hectare launch site began at the end of June 2015 and was completed at the start of 2016. Four platforms were levelled to accommodate the launch pad, the liquid oxygen and hydrogen tanks and the assembly building. Civil engineering works on the flame trench and other buildings began in the summer of 2016 and ended in 2019.[1][2] The launch facility was inaugurated on 28 September 2021 in presence of most of the 600 workers employed at the site, 75% of which recruited locally.[3]

  • Earthworks for the flame trench in August 2017
    Earthworks for the flame trench in August 2017
  • Horizontal assembly building construction in 2017
    Horizontal assembly building construction in 2017
  • ELA-4 under construction in November 2019
    ELA-4 under construction in November 2019
  • Closeup view of the pad's flame diverters in 2019
    Closeup view of the pad's flame diverters in 2019

Scheduled flights
Date
Time (UTC)		 Rocket type
Serial No.		 Payload Orbit Customers Launch
status
April 2024[4] Ariane 62 Multiple rideshare payloads[5] LEO PTS, TU Berlin, ArianeGroup, BarcelonaTech, NASA, TUKE, University of Lisbon Planned
2024[6] Ariane 62 CSO-3 SSO CNES / DGA Planned
2024[7] Ariane 62 Electra GTO SES S.A. / ESA Planned
2024[8] Ariane 62 Galileo FOC FM 25, 26 MEO ESA Planned
2024[8] Ariane 62 Galileo FOC FM 27, 28 MEO ESA Planned
2024[8][9] Ariane 62 Galileo FOC FM 29, 30 MEO ESA Planned
Q4 2024[10] Ariane 64 MTG-S1[11] GTO EUMETSAT Planned
2024[12] Ariane 62 Galileo FOC FM 31, 32 MEO ESA Planned
2024[13] Ariane 6 Galileo G2 1 MEO ESA Planned
2024[14][15] Ariane 64 Optus-11 GTO Optus Planned
2024[16][17] Ariane 64 Uhura-1 (Node-1)[18] GTO Skyloom Planned
2025[12] Ariane 62 Galileo FOC FM 33, 34 MEO ESA Planned
2025[19] Ariane 64 Intelsat-41, 44 GTO Intelsat Planned
Q2 2026[10] Ariane 64[20] MTG-I2[21] GTO EUMETSAT Planned
H1 2026[22] Ariane 64 Intelsat 45 GTO Intelsat Planned
October 2026[23][24] Ariane 6 Earth Return Orbiter Areocentric ESA Planned
Q4 2026[25] Ariane 64 Multi-Launch Service (MLS) #1 rideshare mission GTO TBA Planned
2026[26] Ariane 62[27] PLATO Sun–Earth L2 ESA Planned
Q4 2027[25] Ariane 64 MLS #2 rideshare mission GTO TBA Planned
2027[28][29] Ariane 64 Heracles EL3 TLI ESA Planned
Q4 2028[25] Ariane 64 MLS #3 rideshare mission GTO TBA Planned
Q3 2029[25] Ariane 64 MLS #4 rideshare mission GTO TBA Planned
2029[30] Ariane 62 ARIEL, Comet Interceptor Sun–Earth L2 ESA Planned
2035[31] Ariane 64[32] Athena Sun–Earth L2,
Halo orbit		 ESA Planned
TBD[33] Ariane 64 18 launches of Project Kuiper (35–40 satellites)[34] LEO Kuiper Systems Planned
TBD[35] Ariane 64 ALINA TLI Planetary Transportation Systems Planned

See also

References
  1. "The Ariane 6 system: On board-ground interfaces and launch facility" (PDF) (in French). CNES. 4 November 2015. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  2. "Ariane 6". ESA. 5 November 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  3. "ELA-4 launch complex inaugurated at Guiana Space Centre". CNES. 28 September 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  4. Cabirol, Michel (11 October 2023). "Ariane 6 : vers un premier vol en avril-mai 2024?" [Ariane 6: towards a first flight in April-May 2024?]. La Trubune (in French). Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  5. "ESA selects payloads for Ariane 6 first flight". ESA. 11 February 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  6. Lagneau, Laurent (4 March 2022). "Faute de lanceur Soyouz, la mise sur orbite du satellite militaire français CSO-3 sera retardée d'un an" [In the absence of a Soyuz launcher, the orbital insertion of the French military satellite CSO-3 will be delayed by a year]. Opex360 (in French). Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  7. "SENER designs the mechanisms for the assembly of Electra, the first European commercial satellite with electric propulsion". SENER (Press release). 10 September 2019. Archived from the original on 4 January 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  8. Berger, Eric (18 April 2023). "Europe's Ariane 6 rocket is turning into a space policy disaster". Ars Technica. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  9. Rainbow, Jason (19 November 2021). "The Ariane 6 countdown: Q&A with ArianeGroup civil program manager Franck Huiban". SpaceNews. Retrieved 19 November 2021. The second launch will be for Galileo, which is not commercial.
  10. "Meteosat series". EUMETSAT. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  11. Krebs, Gunter (22 August 2020). "MTG-S 1, 2 (Meteosat 13, 16 / Sentinel 4A, 4B)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  12. "Arianespace to launch eight new Galileo satellites". Arianespace (Press release). 6 January 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  13. Foust, Jeff (21 January 2021). "Airbus, Thales win second-generation Galileo satellite contracts". SpaceNews. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  14. Posaner, Joshua (20 October 2022). "Ariane boss insists Europe's new rocket can compete with Musk's SpaceX". Politico Europe. Retrieved 18 December 2022. "Ariane 6 is the guarantee of autonomous access to space for Europe," Roussel told POLITICO, while confirming tentative plans to carry out a maiden launch of the next-generation rocket by the close of next year, though the first full-scale commercial launch will only happen in 2024.
  15. "Arianespace to launch Australian satellite Optus-11 with Ariane 6". Arianespace (Press release). 17 November 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  16. "Space Compass and Skyloom Sign a Term Sheet to Bring Optical Data Relay Services to the Earth Observation Market". Business Wire (Press release). 6 September 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  17. "Skyloom signs contract with Arianespace for first launch". Arianespace. 27 September 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  18. Arianespace [@Arianespace] (10 September 2021). "We are proud to launch Skyloom's 1st satellite Uhura-1 aboard an Ariane 6 in 2023. This laser-coms relay node will be a game changer for the industry. Congratulations to CEO Marcos Franceschini on this huge milestone" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  19. "Arianespace Ariane 6 to launch Intelsat satellites". Arianespace (Press release). 30 November 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  20. "EUMETSAT to exploit ESA-developed launchers and flight operations software". EUMETSAT. 2 December 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  21. Krebs, Gunter (10 September 2022). "MTG-I 1, 2, 3, 4 (Meteosat 12, 14, 15, 17)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  22. Foust, Jeff (12 September 2023). "Arianespace to launch Intelsat small GEO satellite". SpaceNews.com. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  23. Cowart, Justin (13 August 2019). "NASA, ESA Officials Outline Latest Mars Sample Return Plans". The Planetary Society. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  24. Wall, Mike (29 July 2019). "Bringing Pieces of Mars to Earth in 2031: How NASA and Europe Plan to Do It". Space.com. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  25. "All flights opportunities". Arianespace. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  26. "Planet-hunting eye of PLATO". ESA. 5 March 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  27. "Mission Operations". ESA. 13 January 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  28. "Airbus selected for ESA's Moon lander study". Airbus (Press release). 14 October 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  29. "Helping Heracles EL3 to survive the long, cold, dark nights on the Moon". ESA. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  30. "ARIEL moves from blueprint to reality" (Press release). ESA. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  31. "Athena | Mission Summary". ESA. 2 May 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  32. "Athena X-ray observatory | Athena mission". Athena Community Office. Archived from the original on 6 February 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  33. "Arianespace signs unprecedented contract with Amazon for 18 Ariane 6 launches to deploy Project Kuiper constellation". Arianespace (Press release). 5 April 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  34. Foust, Jeff (5 April 2022). "Amazon launch contracts drive changes to launch vehicle production". SpaceNews. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  35. Baylor, Michael. "Ariane 64 - Alina lander". Next Spaceflight. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
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