The new ground infrastructure for Ariane-5 in Kourou

J. de Dalmau

The Ariane launch complex (ELA-3) and associated facilities are designed by CNES, funded and owned by ESA, and were built with the support of industry from most of the European participating countries. During the production phase, Arianespace, the European launch services operator, will become responsible for the operation of the launch facilities.

The design of the Ariane-5 ground facilities began in 1987. Construction started in Kourou as early as 1988 and today most facilities are already operational and are used for different types of test campaigns, prior to the two Ariane-5 qualification flights scheduled for November 1995 and April 1996. The facilities allow for:

• In the booster area (see Fig. 1): on-site solid propellant mixing and casting at the Guiana Grain Plant, booster integration at the Booster Integration Building, and hotfirings at the Booster Test Stand, as well as post-flight booster expertise facilities. Operation of this area started in 1991 with the production of full-size test boosters. A series of five booster development test firings started successfully in 1993 and will continue until early 1995 with two qualification tests.

• In the ELA-3 launch complex (see Fig. 2): launcher integration and final assembly buildings, launch pad and control centre with the associated remote checkout systems, mobile launch platforms, and rail tracks. In order to reduce the vulnerability to accidents, the launch area is of very simple, flat, design.

Fig 2: The ELA-3 Launch Complex

This area will be used only for the final six hours of countdown, all other launcher and payload preparation activities being carried out at a safe distance, in the final assembly building. The concept of a mobile launch platform that carries the vehicle and the umbilical mast from beginning of integration to lift-off, greatly simplifies connections and checkouts.

• On-site production of cryogenic propellants (liquid oxygen and hydrogen), as well as production, conditioning and distribution of conventional fluids (nitrogen and pressurised air). Finally, they allow for conditioning and underground storage of helium.

One of the ELA-3 complex features is its use, from mid-1994 to mid-1995, as a test stand for development tests of the main cryogenic stage, including hot firings on the launch pad. In this way, the construction of a specific test stand for the main stage could be avoided, and all ground systems could be qualified well before the first flight.

The short duration of the Ariane-5 ground operations (21 working days) from the acceptance of launcher elements, their integration, checkout and launch, will contribute to the objective of reducing launch costs by 10% compared to Ariane-4. This short launch campaign is possible because of the design of the facilities and the way operations are organised: automation, checks done in parallel for all the stages checks, done in Europe as well as in Kourou with identical check-out equipment.

These facilities will enable at least 100 commercial launches and, with minor modifications, they will be compatible with Ariane-5 crewed and cargo missions to future space stations.