The Libreville station

Up to and including Ariane 3, the last downrange telemetry station was at Akakro in the Ivory Coast.  For Ariane 4 it became necessary to move the station further east, near Libreville in Gabon, just below the equator.  This station, which was inaugurated in 1986, is not in Libreville itself, but 30 km from the Gabonese capital, in the village of N’Koltang. This strategic choice was made because the country's main Earth was near the village.  As a result of an agreement signed between ESA and the Republic of Gabon, the Ariane Station is granted preferential access to special facilities such as telecommunications circuits and special power circuits.  These facilities are operated under a protocol agreed upon between CNES and Gabon Telecom.  The equipment was subsequently upgraded to be compatible with Ariane 5 telemetry.