The measuring stations installed at the Space Centre

Four measuring stations set up at the Space Centre participate in global planetary monitoring programmes. CNES personnel both maintain and operate these stations on behalf of the various scientific organisations concerned.

The observatory for magnetic field measurements

This observatory is part of the international INTERMAGNET programme set up to establish a worldwide network of digital magnetic observatories. The data obtained by this programme are used in fundamental research to increase our knowledge of the Earth as well as for making observations and predictions about the Earth’s magnetic field. Every Monday, a team from the physical measurements laboratory takes measurements at the station. The station consists of sensors, an acquisition unit, a satellite-based data-transmission system and a solar panel for charging the batteries. There must be no movement or construction within a radius of 100 m around the sensors in order to avoid perturbing the signals.

The infrasound station

This station detects sound waves generated by explosions in the atmosphere or by natural phenomena: heavy swell in the Atlantic, storms in French Guiana, volcanic eruptions and meteorites entering the atmosphere anywhere in the region. Teams spend a half-day each week collecting the data. This station needs to be set in an isosceles triangle with 3 km sides. There must be no disturbances within the area (such construction, movement, etc.).

The seismography station

This is part of the GEOSCOPE programme which studies the Earth’s internal structure and the mechanisms that cause earthquakes. This programme is intended to answer several questions. What makes tectonic plates move in relation to each other? Are there several convection layers within the mantle? What happens to plates that plunge into the depths of the Earth? How do earthquakes happen? - to name but a few.

The radionuclide station

This station, set up in the context of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), monitors the composition of the air in order to detect radioactive elements. It is part of a network of 80 radionuclide stations throughout the world. This surveillance network is intended to detect, locate and identify nuclear explosions, whether they occur in the atmosphere, underground or under the sea.