ELA-4
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ELA-4 (French: Ensemble de Lancement Ariane 4, lit.'Ariane Launch Complex 4') is a launch complex at the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana supporting launches of the Ariane 6 program. ELA-4 is located along the Route de l'Espace in the Roche Christine site, between the ELA-3 and ELS launch facilities. The complex is composed of a launch pad with mobile gantry, an horizontal assembly building and a dedicated launch operations building.
History
CNES was responsible for the construction of the Ariane 6 ground segments including the new launch pad. Earthworks on the 170-hectare (420-acre) launch site began at the end of June 2015 and was completed at the start of 2016. Four platforms were levelled to accommodate the launch pad, the liquid oxygen and hydrogen tanks and the assembly building. Civil engineering works on the flame trench and other buildings began in the summer of 2016 and ended in 2019. The launch facility was inaugurated on 28 September 2021 in presence of most of the 600 workers employed at the site, 75% of which recruited locally.
Launch statistics
| No. | Date | Time (UTC) | Launch vehicle | Configuration | Payload | Result | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 July 2024 | 19:00 | Ariane 6 | Ariane 62 Block 1 | Multiple rideshares | Partial failure | Maiden flight of Ariane 6 and first launch from ELA-4. Launch was successful but deorbit burn failed, jeopardizing two reentry payloads. |
| 2 | 6 March 2025 | 16:24 | Ariane 6 | Ariane 62 Block 1 | CSO-3 | Success | First commercial Ariane 6 flight and first completely successful Ariane 6 flight. |
| 3 | 13 August 2025 | 00:37 | Ariane 6 | Ariane 62 Block 1 | MetOp-SG-A1/Sentinel-5A | Success | Part of the MetOp-SG series of weather satellites and the Copernicus Programme series of earth observation satellites. First Sentinel launch from an Ariane rocket and from ELA-4. |
| 4 | 4 November 2025 | 21:02 | Ariane 6 | Ariane 62 Block 1 | Sentinel-1D | Success | Part of the Copernicus Programme series of earth observation satellites. |
| 5 | 17 December 2025 | 05:01 | Ariane 6 | Ariane 62 Block 1 | Galileo FOC FM 28 & 31 | Success | Part of the Galileo satellite navigation system. First Galileo launch on Ariane 6. |
| 6 | 12 February 2026 | 16:45 | Ariane 6 | Ariane 64 Block 1 | LeoSat LE-01 | Success | Maiden flight of Ariane 64. First of eighteen Ariane 6 launches supporting the Amazon Leo megaconstellation. |
Upcoming launches
Gallery
- Earthworks for the flame trench in August 2017
- Horizontal assembly building construction in 2017
- Closeup view of the pad's flame diverters in 2019
