MaiaSpace selected to operate from former Soyuz launch pad in French Guiana
27.09.2024
– Following a call for application issued by CNES, MaiaSpace has been selected to operate its reusable launcher from the former Soyuz launch pad (ELS) in the Guiana Space Center.
– Up to now, the company was working on several European launch pad options for MaiaSpace launcher’s first flight and subsequent commercial exploitation phase. Teams can now focus operations and schedule on a baseline solution for the start of commercial exploitation in 2026 from the European spaceport in French Guiana.
– Selection criteria included, among others, request to launch at least 1.5 ton in Low Earth Orbit by 2027, to have credible business model, technical and financial maturity for the project, and environmental responsibility.
Former Soyuz launch pad in French Guiana (ELS) becomes the reference launch pad of MaiaSpace’s reusable launcher. This announcement is a critical milestone for MaiaSpace. Teams are more than ever confident in their ability to deliver, four years after the creation of MaiaSpace as a private and autonomous European company, competitive, innovative, scalable, future-proof and more eco-responsible space transport and space mobility solutions from 2026.
“The reuse of already existing launch pad infrastructures is perfectly in line with MaiaSpace’s approach to minimize as much as possible its environmental footprint, on Earth and in Space. In addition, such cost-effective solution will contribute to optimizing the level of its capital expenditures and therefore MaiaSpace’s business viability”, explained Yohann Leroy, CEO of Maiaspace. “With this decision, MaiaSpace is proud to contribute to the economic development and to innovation in French Guiana, through the investments of several tens of millions of euros for the adaptation of the launch pad to our needs, or the development of a local bio-sourced methane production sector. Finally, MaiaSpace demonstrates one more time the relevance to combine the best of both worlds, building tomorrow’s successes from yesterday’s rather than starting from a blank page, while maintaining the speed, the agility and the culture of risk of a start-up. This unique approach is key to provide our customers with the most competitive space launch and mobility services in their category.”
French Guiana is not only an ideal location for launching satellites into space, benefiting from the maximum slingshot effect generated by the rotation of the Earth, particularly for the deployment of satellite constellations in inclined orbit. Having a very wide opening onto the Atlantic Ocean, the Guiana Space Center allows access to all orbit inclinations and is also a must, perfect solution for recovering the Main Stage of the launcher on a barge at sea, few hundreds of kilometers off the coast. Last but not least, ELS allows outstanding perspectives of growth both in terms of launcher capability and launch rate.
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Raphaël CHEVRIER