The European Space Agency (ESA) has dismantled the 52-meter mobile service tower of the Soyuz-ST rocket launch complex. This refers to the Kourou Cosmodrome in French Guiana. This was reported by Dmitry Strugovets, an expert in astronautics and former head of the Roscosmos press service.
The structure was first prepared for demolition: four truss supports – the so-called “tulip” that held the rocket before launch – were cut on the launch pad, and cable masts were also dismantled. After that, the tower was destroyed by an explosion.
However, most of the cosmodrome's infrastructure will be preserved. The assembly and testing complex, railway, liquid oxygen storage facilities, and refueling stations will be transferred to the startup Maiaspace – a subsidiary of Arianespace. The facilities are intended to be used for launching the Maia rocket, owned by the French aerospace corporation ArianeGroup. The first launch is scheduled for 2027.
The joint ESA and Roscosmos program "Soyuz at Kourou" operated for 15 years. During this time, 27 launches were carried out from the cosmodrome. Roscosmos ceased operations at the site in February 2022.
The Kourou Cosmodrome, officially known as the Guiana Space Centre, is located in French Guiana – in northeastern South America, on the Atlantic coast.
It should be noted that Kourou is preferable to Baikonur for commercial launches due to its proximity to the equator. This allows rockets to gain additional speed due to the faster rotation of the Earth.
