Diamant (1970 - 1975)

Diamant is France’s first satellite launcher built on developments made for a strategic missile. A first stage equipped with a liquid propellant engine, two solid propellant stages, plus a spin-stabilised third stage and a satellite make up the Diamant-A launcher (A for Army). Height: 18.94 metres and total weight: 18.4 tonnes.

The first Diamant-A launch took place on 26 November 1965 from the Hammaguir launch base in Algerian Sahara. On board, was the experimental Asterix satellite. Weighing 42 kilograms, its mission was to validate the launcher’s operation. This event enabled France to join, after the Soviet Union and the United States, the very closed circle of nations capable of putting a satellite into orbit autonomously. The world’s third largest space power was born.

After three further successes in 1966 and 1967, Algerian independence under the Evian Agreements forced France to abandon the Hammaguir launch base. At the same time, the CNES (French space agency) was working to develop a more powerful launcher: Diamant-B, with a payload capacity of 115 kg instead of 80 kg for Diamant-A.

In 1968, the Diamant site was already under construction in Kourou. It became operational on 10 March 1970 with the successful launch of the first Diamant-B rocket carrying the German scientific satellite Dial.

Four other launches followed, of which two failed, in 1970, 1971 and 1973. The last three launches with the Diamant-BP4 launcher took place in 1975, including the launch on 6 February of Starlette, a French satellite dedicated to geodetic and geophysical studies.

The Diamant programme was ended in October 1975 due to budget constraints resulting from France’s significant commitment to the new European launch programme, Ariane.

But with 10 successful launches out of 12, Diamant was an undeniable success, enabling the CNES to gain knowledge of the launcher technology. These major scientific experiments and the development of the French Guiana Space Centre launch facilities made France a pioneer in the construction of the European space industry.

The Diamant launch facilities (ELD), completed in August 1969, comprised the launcher assembly hall and the gantry, connected by an airlock, and a room housing the test stand. Access to the launcher erected on the launch table was facilitated by articulated platforms attached to the gantry. The gantry and the connecting airlock were moved back about fifty metres to allow the launch. This design was nevertheless marked by the vulnerability of the buildings and equipment located near the launch pad.

After the Diamant programme was abandoned, the site was decommissioned in 1976 and repurposed as a storage and sorting site for industrial waste.

In 2020, refurbishment of the Diamant site began to host the reusable European space vehicle Callisto, as well as mini-launchers developed by private companies. Renamed Multi-Launcher Complex 1 (ELM1), the site made maximum use of the pre-existing infrastructure, helping to reduce refurbishment costs and mitigate the environmental impact of the project.