ELA-2
1986 to 2003
Site Details
- Country: France (French Guiana)
- Operator: CNES and Arianespace
- Type: Historical
Overview
Built to raise the launch rate of Ariane, ELA-2 allowed one rocket to be assembled away from the pad while another flew. It launched Ariane 2, Ariane 3, and above all Ariane 4, which dominated the commercial satellite market in the 1990s until its final flight in 2003.
Related Launch Sites
Guiana Space Centre (Kourou)
The European gateway to space at 5 degrees north, ideal for eastward launches to geostationary orbit. Ariane rockets flew from 197...
Ensemble de Lancement Soyouz
The Soyuz launch site near Sinnamary let Arianespace fly Russian Soyuz rockets from French Guiana, gaining payload from the low la...
ELA-3
The launch complex built for the heavy Ariane 5, whose first flight from the pad in June 1996 ended in an explosion caused by a so...
ELA-4
The launch complex built for the Ariane 6, with a mobile gantry that rolls back before liftoff instead of moving the rocket to the...