Ariane 6 launch zone under construction

Work is underway to complete the Ariane 6 launch complex at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

The mobile gantry is a 90 metre-high mobile metallic structure weighing 8200 tonnes when fully equipped, that rolls on rails equipped with platforms to access the appropriate launcher levels for integration on the launch pad. The gantry is moved away just before launch.

The two symmetric exhaust ducts of the launch pad are visible. 

The Launcher Assembly Building, a structure 20 m tall, 112 m long and 41 m wide, is located 1 km away from the launch zone. It is used for launch vehicle horizontal integration/preparation before rollout to the launch zone. 

The first Ariane 6 flight is scheduled for 2020.