Technicians in the tunnels of Ariane 6 launch pad.
Built and operated by France’s space agency CNES, the launch complex at the Ariane 6 launch zone – called ELA4 – was built from the ground up at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. Building on the success and lessons learnt from the previous launch zones, the new infrastructure allows for quick processing and a launch cadence of one Ariane 6 a month and has been designed to lessen the site’s carbon footprint and preserve local natural resources.
Underground, several hundred metres of pipes and cables are laid to provide water, propellant, electricity and data connections to the launch pad.