A consortium led by Eiffage Génie Civil has been awarded a €200M contract by the French government space agency (CNES) for the construction of Ariane 6 ELA 4 launch complex in Guiana.


The Ariane 6 programme, approved by European Space Agency (ESA) in 2014, aims to minimise the cost of space launch by half compared to Ariane 5.

CNES was handed the responsibility to develop the programme’s ground facilities at the Guiana Space Centre and in February issued an European tender invitation for the construction of the ELA 4 infrastructure, which has now been awarded to Eclair6 consortium.

The consortium will be responsible for the construction of all ELA 4 structures, including the launch pad and its two flame trenches, the 6,000t, 90m-high mobile service gantry and the BAL launcher assembly building.

The project will require 7,000t of reinforcement, 400,000cb m of earth and 7,500t of structural steel.

Construction is set to start immediately and is scheduled to be complete in October 2018, with the first Ariane 6 launch scheduled for late 2020.