Eiffage S A : Inauguration of the Ariane 6 launch pad

On Tuesday 28 September in Kourou, National Centre for Space Study CEO Philippe Baptiste, European Space Agency general manager Josef Aschbacher and French Minister for Overseas Territories Sébastien Lecornu inaugurated the Ariane 6 launch base in the presence of representatives of the local authorities.

This major project was won in July 2016 by the Eclair6 consortium led by Eiffage Génie Civil with partners Eiffage Métal, SEH Engineering, Eiffage Infra Guyane, Eiffage Énergie Systèmes, Axima and ICOP. It involved carrying out the Infrastructure work on the Ariane 6 launch site (ELA4) inside Guyana's Space Center.

Eiffage Génie Civil's part of the project comprised all the ELA4 works including the launch pad with its two flues, mobile gantry (8,000 tonnes and 90 meters high), launcher assembly building (BAL), water tower and lightning masts. The work required the use of 60,000 m³ of concrete, 9,000 tons of reinforcement, 400,000 m³ of earthworks and 8,700 tons of steel structure.

Eiffage Métal's teams built the launcher assembly building's steel structure and the mobile gantry. This structure on rails, 90 m high and weighing 8,000 tons, is one of the largest in the world, and its displacement is an extraordinary technical challenge.

Eiffage Énergie Systèmes' brand for industry Clemessy took charge of lighting the launch area. The lighting must allow fast cameras to inspect the launcher from all angles, enabling observation of the crucial moment when the umbilical links detach from the launcher a few seconds before lift-off. The teams are also busy on the electrical and automation works, and on constructing the lightning protection system.

Finally, Eiffage Route handled road and network maintenance and built the road surfaces.

We thank the CNES for their confidence.
Congratulations to all the employees involved in this project.