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Satnews Daily
June 14th, 2010

Soyuz Take A Gander At The Finished Gantry



This image shows the mobile gantry’s completed framework, at left, with the launch pad’s umbilical masts and support arms for Soyuz visible in the center.
[SatNews] Construction of the mobile gantry at Soyuz' new launch site in French Guiana is moving into its final phase as this structure's framework is now complete, and the metallic siding is being installed.

The gantry is one of the most visible differences at the Spaceport's launch infrastructure from the long-operating Soyuz facilities at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia.

It allows payloads to be installed on the launcher in the vertical position, as is performed with Ariane 5 and many other western launch vehicles, compared to the traditional horizontal integration performed with Russian launchers.

Total height of the gantry is 52 meters to the top of its curved roof, while its internal movable work platforms provide access to the Soyuz launcher at various levels up to a height of 36 meters.