Soyuz at the Guiana Space Centre (also known as Soyuz at CSG or Arianespace Soyuz) was a European Space Agency (ESA) programme for operating Soyuz-ST launch vehicles from Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG), providing medium-size launch capability for Arianespace to complement the light Vega and heavy-lift Ariane 5. The Soyuz vehicle was supplied by the Roscosmos with TsSKB-Progress and NPO Lavochkin, while additional components were supplied by Airbus, Thales Group and RUAG. Autor LV (ICBM) = NPO "Energia", Kaliningrad.
The Arianespace Soyuz project was announced by the ESA in 2002. Cooperation with Russia began in two areas: construction of a launch site for Soyuz in CSG and development of the Soyuz launch vehicle modified for the Guiana Space Centre. A Programme Declaration was signed in 2003 and funding along with final approval was granted on 4 February 2005. Initial excavation for the Ensemble de Lancement Soyouz (ELS; Soyuz Launch Complex) began in 2005, construction started in 2007, and the launch complex was completed in early 2011, allowing Arianespace to offer launch services on the modified Soyuz ST-B to its clients. Two early flights, VS02 and VS04, and a recent flight, VS17, used the Soyuz ST-A variant. Since 2011, Arianespace has ordered a total of 23 Soyuz rockets, enough to cover its needs until 2019 at a pace of three to four launches per year. Due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Soyuz launches from the Guiana Space Centre have been suspended.
Features of modified Soyuz for the Guiana Space Centre
First use of a mobile service tower at the ELS that enabled vertical payload integration. European supplied payload adapters. European supplied KSE (), a system to locate and transmit a flight termination signal. It would command the engines to shut down and leave the vehicle in a ballistic trajectory. Adaptation of the S-Band telemetry system on all stages from the 5 TM bands available at Baikonur, and Plesetsk to the 3 allowed at the CSG range. Adaptation of the S-Band telemetry coding and frequency to the Inter-Range Instrumentation Group (IRIG) standard used at CSG. Adaptation of the oxygen purge system for directing to the outside of the mobile gantry. Adaptation to the tropical CSG climate including the adaptation of the air conditioning system to local specifications and protective measures to avoid icing. All holes and cavities were studied and certified to be adequately protected against intrusion of insects and rodents. The four boosters and the core stage were upgraded with pyrotechnic devices to breach the fuel tanks to assure that they would sink in the ocean. The other stages were shown to lose structural integrity on impact and thus proven to sink. At least initially, the boosters and core stage would use the pyrotechnically ignited 14D22 (RD-107A) and 14D23 (RD-108A) rather than the chemically ignited 14D22 KhZ and 14D23 KhZ used on the rest of the Soyuz-2.
Vehicle processing
Soyuz components arrived at the CSG via ship, and were unloaded and placed in a storage area. From there, the components were brought to the Launch Vehicle Integration Building where they were assembled horizontally in an air-conditioned environment. First four boosters were attached to the core stage, and then the third stage was attached to the core – identical to the procedure at Baikonur and Plesetsk Cosmodrome. Separately, the payload was mounted on a dispenser in a Payload Processing Facility and then transferred into the S3B building to be mounted to the Fregat upper stage and then encapsulated in a fairing. Subsequently, the first 3 stages of the Soyuz-ST were transported from the Integration Building to the launch pad by a train which also erected the rocket to the vertical position at the pad, where Soyuz was suspended by four support arms. Once vertical, a mobile gantry moved in and enclosed Soyuz. Following that the encapsulated Fregat and payload was lifted vertically by a mobile gantry to be mounted on top of Soyuz. The Mobile Gantry was retracted an hour before the launch.
Future developments
Arianespace planned to operate Soyuz until at least the end of 2019, and as of 2014 intended to continue operating Soyuz alongside the planned Ariane 6 when that launcher makes its debut. However, the announcement of new Ariane 6 designs from Airbus and Safran opens the possibility of Ariane 6.2 replacing Soyuz. As Ariane 6 flight test slips to 2022, several flights were planned for Soyuz as late as 2022 before the Russians pulled out.