Salvation Islands

Salvation Islands off the coast of French Guiana. In the foreground is Royale Island, to the left is Devil's Island and Saint-Joseph Island on the right. The islands were part of the penal colonies on the islands of French Guiana. These prisons have not been used since 1947 and have now been overrun by the natural vegetation.

On Royale Island the French Space Agency CNES has a building housing an old cinetheodolite used to track launches. It was installed in 1968 and converted into a cinetelescope in 1995. Used for launches from Europe's Spaceport that launch to the north, this instrument tracks and films the entire flight phase, from liftoff until the launcher is no longer visible.