Opening to Ariane 6 concrete flame trench

Completed by November were Ariane 6's two concrete flame trenches at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou in French Guiana.

Imagine the meteoric force of exhaust gases expelled by four Ariane 6 strap-on boosters and a Vulcain motor ignited at liftoff. These plumes will rush 25 m deep below the launch table and be diverted into the flame trenches by a 600-tonne steel deflector deluged by cooling water fed from the water tower. The exhaust gases will be channelled and expelled away from the launch table via two flame trenches.