It was an amazing experience to attend a rocket launch at the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. While working on project development in French Guiana, my business partner Dr. Tockie Laotan Brown, and I were invited to watch the initial flight of 2020. For its first mission of the year, on January 16th Ariane 5 successfully placed two telecommunications satellites in orbit for Europe, India, and Africa, said ArianeGroup.
107th Ariane 5 Launch
The rocket has placed Eutelsat Konnect telecommunications satellites for the operator Eutelsat and GSAT-30 for the Indian Space Agency (ISRO) in geostationary orbit (36,000 km from Earth), ArianeGroup stated. Eutelsat Konnect is a new “all-electric” satellite, which should allow the European operator to offer access at a maximum speed of 100 megabits per second (Mbit / sec) and contribute highly to “reduce the digital gap in 40 African countries and 15 western European countries” Arianespace claimed. Designed and produced by the Indian Space Agency, GSAT-30 will provide television, telecommunications, and broadcasting services throughout India, including the islands
Ariane 6 launch coming soon
At the end of the operations, Stéphane Israël, the executive chairman of Arianespace announced that “A record number of launches” will be pursued this year 2020 from the Guyana space center. The year 2020 promises to be a transitional year for Arianespace, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary and is responsible for the operation and marketing of European launchers. Before the end of the year, it intends to carry out the inaugural shots of the new Ariane 6 and Vega C rockets. Arianespace also plans to launch more than 300 satellites in 2020, half of what it has placed in orbit in 40 years, primarily due to the OneWeb constellation deployment
It was an unforgettable life experience to witness in French Guiana. It is for you a must-see destination and one of a kind! For lovers of nature, French Guiana, the only French and European region in South America, is a destination of choice, an exceptional human and cultural experience: a land of contrast between extreme modernity of the rockets Ariane, Soyuz and Vega, and the prehistoric times of the first human civilizations. Please don’t hesitate to make it your next gateway, and you won’t be disappointed!
By Alizé Utteryn
Kourou, French Guiana
