Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana

Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, is the ideal launch site for an extraordinary mission such as the European-Chinese Smile mission.

Because the Spaceport is located near the equator, launch vehicles gain extra performance thanks to a ‘slingshot effect’ due to the speed of Earth’s rotation. An open ocean towards the north and east offers a launch trajectory away from populated areas. In addition, this region has no risk of cyclones or earthquakes.

ESA owns the Vega-C programme, working with Avio as prime contractor and design authority for the rocket. Avio is also the launch service operator for this Smile launch. French space agency CNES maintains the Vega-C launch facilities at Europe’s Spaceport.

Smile (the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) is a joint mission between the European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

[Image description: At the centre of this infographic is a graphic showing a Vega-C rocket in the launch zone. Around this central graphics are key facts about Europe's Spaceport and the Vega programme.]