The Soyuz Project
The Russian launcher Soyuz is scheduled to lift off from the European Space port in Kourou, French Guiana, in 2009. This will be an historical occasion since it will be the first time that Soyuz will be launched from a base other than that of Baikonur or Plessetsk in Russia.
Soyuz 2 is the new version of the highly reliable Russian launcher which was first used 40 years ago when Sputnik was put into orbit and also for the first manned flight in history. It will be more powerful and capable of placing a 3 tonne payload in a geostationary orbit as compared to the 1.7 tonnes traditionally launched from Baikonur in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz launch complexes will be about ten km from the Ariane launch sites.
Work done for the Soyuz facilities
Following the ESA Council’s decision to undertake the project in February 2004, earthworks began in January 2005. Work on the infrastructure itself and drilling of the 28 m deep flame trench in a granite layer began on 2006. The Russian equipment and technicians for assembling it are due to arrive mid 2008. Technical qualification tests should begin by end of May 2009. The first Soyuz launch from French Guiana is expected for 2009.
Topographical mission for the Soyuz project
The topographical survey technique used for the Soyuz site is based on an airborne reconnaissance laser. This technology enabled us to save valuable time: the 3 hours of helicopter reconnaissance saved approximately four weeks of field reconnaissance using traditional ground surveying techniques. The altimetry survey of the topography was necessary for designing the earthworks (load bearing platforms, roads, drains, paths for conduits, clearing of rubble and filling with rubble, etc...). This new topographical technique has several advantages over other techniques (ground surveys, photogrammetry, satellite techniques, etc..) among which: its speed of execution both for acquiring data (up to 4000ha/day) and for processing data. Another advantage is the accuracy of the topographical data acquired at a very reasonable cost.
Russia and Europe signed a Space agreement
In January 2005 Russia and the European Space Agency (ESA) signed an agreement for close cooperation for exchanging information and using facilities. Under the terms of this agreement, ESA will allow Russia to use the facilities at the European Space port in Kourou for launching Soyuz rockets. The agreement includes the future development of new facilities for the Russian launcher. The total cost of the project has been estimated at 344 million euros to which Russia will be contributing 130 million euros.
Soyuz reveals vestiges of Amerindians
Following the earthworks, preventive archaeological research revealed the existence of extremely ancient sites, 15 km from the town of Sinnamary. Four months of research carried out at the end of 2004, on sand quarries for the Soyuz site revealed traces of three ancient Amerindian sites and a site of contact between the Old and the New world. Sylvie Jérémie, who is the local manager of the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP) emphasized that for the three sand quarries which had been given the Russian names of Eva, Tania and Olga, archaeologists had already found "fragments of polished axes, ceramics with geometrical designs on them, pottery with incisions on the body, decorations in the form of monkeys, jaguars and humans beings, painted in red, white and black both inside and outside. According to the first clues, this ancient site may have been occupied 2000 years ago, but archaeologists are waiting for carbon-14 dating results."
At this contact site, researchers found imported metal, pipes made of African soil and Amerindian beads. According to Gérald Migeon, a conservator at the regional archaeology department, "these sites will be excavated for three or four months during the rainy season, but the earthworks will not be slowed down".
