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New Soyuz Launch Facility Near the Equator

Posted by Soulskill on from the wish-we-could-do-that-space-thing dept.

tcd004 writes "Russian and French teams are currently hard at work in French Guiana on the northern coast of South America, building the first Soyuz launch facility in the Western Hemisphere. Soyuz rockets normally carry 3,500 pound payloads into orbit, but from the French Guiana spaceport, the rocket will have an added benefit of being near the equator where the Earth's spin makes launching slightly easier. This extra boost allows Soyuz to deliver a 6,600 pound payload into orbit. The first launches are scheduled for October."

9 of 127 comments (clear)

  1. Building? by Leuf · · Score: 4, Informative

    Considering according to TFA they had a launch dry run back in May and launching in two months I don't think there's too much building going on at this point.

  2. Re:Whoa. That's a lot more payload! by Isaac-1 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Now can we change the orbital inclination of the ISS to something more sane?

  3. A bit ironic ... by MacTO · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I know that it is far too early to tell what's going to happen with the U.S. space program, but I find it quite ironic that Russia managed to rebuild their manned and civilian space program within years of the political and economic collapse of the U.S.S.R. and that the U.S.A. is depending upon them even though the American economic collapse is minor in comparison.

    Now I've been out of the space exploration loop for a few years, but it strikes me that the U.S.A. does not have civilian or manned launch capabilities at the moment. That leaves the civilian program contracting out launches to the Russians, E.S.A., and their military. And quite frankly I don't see that changing in the near future since I don't think that they have the political will to change it.

    1. Re:A bit ironic ... by Frangible · · Score: 4, Funny

      This is because Russia has a superior and far more efficient form of government than we do.

      Head of space appropriations committee... Vladimir Putin
      Head of Federal Space Agency... Vladimir Putin
      Head of Department of Revenue... Vladimir Putin
      Space Agency Oversight Committee... Vladimir Putin
      Director of Cosmodrone Development... Vladimir Putin
      Soyuz Launch Officer... Vladimir Putin
      Cosmonauts No. 1 - 6... Vladimir Putin
      Women's Tennis Quality Oversight... Vladimir Putin

      And that, comrade, is why Russia won the space race.

  4. Re:Whoa. That's a lot more payload! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Well, Cape Canaveral is about 28 degrees latitude, while the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazahkstan is 46 degrees. We'd gain something by going to the French Guiana facility's 5 degrees, but nowhere near as much. (The extra velocity kick from Earth's rotation is proportional to the cosine of latitude.)

  5. Retard system by andresambrois · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I find it baffling that, in this day and age, one can still read news articles using the imperial system. About space travel, of all things.

    1. Re:Retard system by oobayly · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Why, both systems work. In school we only used SI units, at home we used both (my Dad is a farmer and even though the Department of Agriculture used imperial, he used SI as he had a lot of German equipment). In uni (Aero engineering) I was taught both. Sure it can be an arse-ache to convert mass to volume in imperial, but you get a feel for the numbers.
      Besides, as long as you state what units you use, you can use any mixture safely* - I've described something as a metre by a yard (it wasn't quite square), and got some strange looks, but it was the most accurate description. I also calculate my fuel consumption in miles per litre.(about 8 is good for me). I describe my mass & height in kilos & centimetres, but if I measure something short I'll use my thumb and estimate it in inches.

      * Safely, but maybe not conveniently.

    2. Re:Retard system by Laser+Dan · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I find it baffling that, in this day and age, one can still read news articles using the imperial system. About space travel, of all things.

      Well 6,600 pounds is 2,994 kg, so I suspect that the actual value is 3,000 kg and it has been converted to pounds for for certain poor backwards readers.

  6. Re:Whoa. That's a lot more payload! by daem0n1x · · Score: 3, Funny

    Soyuz rockets normally carry 3,500 pound payloads into orbit.

    This extra boost allows Soyuz to deliver a 6,600 pound payload into orbit.

    What's puzzling me is, why would someone want to send all that money into orbit? And, if it's in French Guiana, why do they send British Pounds instead of Euros?