The purpose of Europe’s spaceport

Europe’s spaceport is the only launch site for ESA’s Ariane 6 and Vega-C launchers. Its purpose is to guarantee that Europe benefits from continual, reliable and independent access to space.
 

Europe’s spaceport is mainly funded by the 23 member states of the European Space Agency (ESA). Every three years, ESA Member States convene at the Ministerial Council meeting to decide on the investments necessary for the development, maintenance and modernisation of the spaceport. These funding decisions are key to guaranteeing the long-term viability of the facilities, supporting technological innovation and providing Europe with independent access to space.

A number of European companies operate at Europe’s spaceport, including Telematic solutions (Italy), GTD (Spain), EQUANS (Belgium), APCO (Switzerland) and SERCO (UK).

Check out all the companies at the spaceport!

Many remarkable European programmes and satellites have reached space from the launch pads of Europe’s spaceport. 

These include Earth observation satellites such as Sentinel and Biomass, as well as the Juice probe, on its way to the icy moons of Jupiter, the satellites of the European Galileo global navigation system, the MetOp meteorological satellites, and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), developed by NASA together with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

Europe’s spaceport is also the main launch site for France’s national defence programmes, such as the CSO, Syracuse and Ceres satellites.

As well as being the launch site for Europe’s flagship missions, Europe’s spaceport also hosts satellites from all over the world including: Indonesia, the US, Japan, Brazil and India. Discover its launch history here.

Its position and facilities allow it to accommodate satellites of all sizes and adapt to all types of missions. Nearly half the rockets launched from Europe’s spaceport carry telecommunications satellites, while the others carry Earth observation, planetary exploration or navigation satellites.

In 2023, following the French space agency’s call for expressions of interest, Europe’s spaceport opened its doors to new private space operators.

The Multi-launcher Complex, on the historic site of the Diamant Launch Complex, will be able to accommodate up to five private mini and micro-launcher operators. Four European companies have already signed a feasibility agreement with CNES: ISAR Aerospace, RFA, PLD Space, and Latitude.

The ELM covers an area of 120 hectares. It includes five launch pads for private operators and facilities for the CALLISTO reusable launch vehicle. 

Following a second call for proposals, MaiaSpace was selected to operate the former Soyuz launch pad, which will be adapted for its Maia launch vehicle.

The former Soyuz Launch Complex will also host the winner of ESA’s European Launcher Challenge, which is aimed at promoting the emergence of new launch operators.