Fregat upper stages for Arianespace’s first two Soyuz launchers are ready to be driven from the MN Colibri’s internal cargo bay during its unloading process.  The transport ship arrived at Pariacabo port in the morning hours of November 23, completing a transatlantic crossing that began on November 7 from St. Petersburg, Russia.

Each Soyuz vehicle was divided into 10 containers for the shipment to French Guiana, accommodating their four first-stage strap-on boosters, the Block A core stage (transported in two segments) and Block I third stage, along with the Fregat upper stage and the launchers’ ST-type payload fairing (each shipped in two separate half-shells).

After being unloaded from the MN Colibri, the Soyuz containers were initially staged at Pariacabo port, and then transferred to the Spaceport by road.  Soyuz will become part of Arianespace’s growing launcher family, operating with heavy-lift Ariane 5 from the Spaceport, and subsequently joined by the lightweight Vega.

Two Fregat upper stages leave Pariacabo port in a road convoy to the Spaceport.  A total of three Fregat stages were delivered to French Guiana by the MN Colibri: two of which are flight-qualified for the initial Soyuz launches, and a third for use in fueling tests at the Spaceport.

The Fregat upper stage functional model is positioned inside the new Soyuz integration building at the Spaceport.  This model will be utilized to validate the Fregat’s fueling procedures at French Guiana, which are to be performed in the Spaceport’s S3B preparation building.