ELA-3
Encyclopedia
ELA-3, short for Ensemble de Lancement Ariane 3 (French
for Ariane Launch Area 3), is a launch pad
and associated facilities at the Centre Spatial Guyanais in French Guyana. ELA-3 is operated by Arianespace
as part of the expendable launch system
for Ariane 5
rockets. 53 launches have been made from it, the first of which occurred on 4 June 1996.
ELA-3 is 21 square kilometres in size.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
for Ariane Launch Area 3), is a launch pad
Launch pad
A launch pad is the area and facilities where rockets or spacecraft lift off. A spaceport can contain one or many launch pads. A typical launch pad consists of the service and umbilical structures. The service structure provides an access platform to inspect the launch vehicle prior to launch....
and associated facilities at the Centre Spatial Guyanais in French Guyana. ELA-3 is operated by Arianespace
Arianespace
Arianespace SA is a French company founded in 1980 as the world's first commercial space transportation company. It undertakes the production, operation, and marketing of the Ariane 5 rocket launcher as part of the Ariane programme....
as part of the expendable launch system
Expendable launch system
An expendable launch system is a launch system that uses an expendable launch vehicle to carry a payload into space. The vehicles used in expendable launch systems are designed to be used only once , and their components are not recovered for re-use after launch...
for Ariane 5
Ariane 5
Ariane 5 is, as a part of Ariane rocket family, an expendable launch system used to deliver payloads into geostationary transfer orbit or low Earth orbit . Ariane 5 rockets are manufactured under the authority of the European Space Agency and the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales...
rockets. 53 launches have been made from it, the first of which occurred on 4 June 1996.
ELA-3 is 21 square kilometres in size.