Launches from Kourou, French Guiana
The Guiana Space Centre near Kourou is Europe's spaceport, prized for its equator-adjacent location that gives rockets an extra boost to geostationary orbit. Ariane 6 and Vega-C fly from here — the live schedule below updates automatically.
Next up
Ariane 62 | MTG-I2 — launch time, how to watch (27 August 2026)Thu 27 Aug, 00:00 UTC · Ariane Launch Area 4, Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana · TBD
Upcoming launches
- Ariane 62 | MTG-I2 — launch time, how to watch (27 August 2026) — Thu 27 Aug, 00:00 UTC
- Vega-C | Sentinel-3C & FLEX: Launch Time & How to Watch (11 Sep 2026) — Fri 11 Sept, 00:00 UTC
Recent launches
- Ariane 64 Block 2 | Amazon Leo (LE-03) — launch recap (17 June 2026) — Success
- Vega-C | Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) — launch recap (19 May 2026) — Success
- Ariane 64 | Amazon Leo (LE-02) — launch recap (30 April 2026) — Success
Why does Europe launch from South America?
Kourou sits ~5° from the equator, where Earth's rotation adds ~460 m/s of free velocity — ideal for geostationary missions.