Ariane 6 launch pad

Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana is preparing for Ariane 6. 

The launch pad is 28.5 m deep and 200 m wide. Its basic structure was poured in concrete the volume of 67 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

At its centre is the launch table which weighs 700 tonnes and is 4 m high, 20 m long, and 18 m wide. This structure was built in Europe by MT Aerospace in Germany and shipped to Kourou for integration on the launch pad. Below ground it protects a host of support systems and will bear the weight of Ariane 6.

The 90 metre-high mobile gantry, weighing 8200 tonnes when fully equipped, has been moved along its rails from the retracted position over the launch table. With the mobile gantry in this position, Ariane 6 is fully protected and accessible to engineers. 

Three ‘dummy’ versions of a P120C booster filled with water instead of fuel are standing in front of the mobile gantry for use in mechanical tests.