The Spaceport

Soyuz launch site facts

The launch site is located 12 kilometers northwest from the Ariane 5 launch complex
The launch vehicle’s assembly building is 92 meters long, 41 meters wide, and 22 meters tall
Soyuz’s launch site is configured after the Russian Baikonur and Plesetsk Cosmodromes but with a new mobile launch service tower
Assembly of Soyuz launchers is performed horizontally inside the launcher integration building, with payload integration performed vertically on the launch pad

Soyuz launch site > Preparation area

The Soyuz launcher integration building will handle launcher integration and checkout of the assembled three-stage basic vehicle. It currently is being built as part of the major construction work underway at the Spaceport's Soyuz launch zone.

Launcher stages are delivered via a rear receiving dock, and vehicle assembly is performed inside the integration building's air conditioned main bay. The launcher's assembly is handled horizontally, following the same proven procedures used for Soyuz vehicles at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia.

The Spaceport's assembly building is 92 meters long, 41 meters wide, and 22 meters tall. It will be equipped with two traveling cranes for handling launcher segments, along with a rail system for the movement and integration of the stages.

Completed Soyuz vehicles depart the building on a transporter/erector rail car, which is rolled out to the launch pad for erection, payload integration, final checkout and launch.

The rear zone

Situated behind the assembly building is a rear zone area which comprises the Soyuz launch site's support facilities – including air conditioning and power systems, offices, telecommunications infrastructure and the launch control center.

The reinforced control center is the only building in the Soyuz launch zone that is occupied during final countdown and liftoff. This three-story facility houses the equipment, consoles and offices for the mission control team.

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