Centre Spatial Guyanais

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Ariane 5 and Envisat on their way to the launch pad at the Guiana Space Centre

The space centre has its own port.

The Centre Spatial Guyanais (English: Guiana Space Centre) is a French/European spaceport near Kourou in French Guiana. Operational since 1968, it is particularly suitable as a location for a spaceport due to its proximity to the equator, and the fact that launches in the favourable direction are over water. The European Space Agency, the French space agency CNES as well as the commercial Arianespace company launch their satellites from Kourou.

The spaceport was selected in 1964 to become the spaceport of France. When the European Space Agency (ESA) was founded in 1975, France offered to share Kourou with ESA. Commercial launches are bought also by non-European companies. ESA pays two thirds of the spaceport's annual budget, and has also financed the upgrades made during the development of the Ariane launchers. The ground facilities include launcher and satellite preparation buildings, launch operation facilities and a solid propellant factory.

The ESA is currently building facilities for launching Russian built Soyuz rockets from this spaceport. Under the terms of a Russo-European joint venture, ESA will augment its own launch vehicle fleet with Soyuz rockets (and use them to launch ESA and/or commercial payloads) and the Russians will get access to the Kourou spaceport for launching their own payloads with Soyuz rockets. They will thus use the Guiana Space Centre as an alternative to their Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan launching site, with the benefit of significantly added payload capability due to the before-mentioned position near the equator.

Kourou is located approximately 500 km north of the equator, at a latitude of 5°3'. At this latitude, the Earth's rotation gives an additional velocity of almost 500 m/s. Therefore, manœuvreing the satellites to the desired orbit is usually a simpler process.

Fire safety is ensured by a detachment of the Paris Fire Brigade. Safety around the base is ensured by French Gendarmerie forces, assisted by the French Foreign Legion and other military forces.