New Soyuz Launch Facility Near the Equator

tcd004 writes "Russian and French teams are currently hard at work in French Guiana on the northern coast of South America, building the first Soyuz launch facility in the Western Hemisphere. Soyuz rockets normally carry 3,500 pound payloads into orbit, but from the French Guiana spaceport, the rocket will have an added benefit of being near the equator where the Earth's spin makes launching slightly easier. This extra boost allows Soyuz to deliver a 6,600 pound payload into orbit. The first launches are scheduled for October."

Re:A bit ironic ...

[Frangible]

This is because Russia has a superior and far more efficient form of government than we do.

Head of space appropriations committee... Vladimir Putin
Head of Federal Space Agency... Vladimir Putin
Head of Department of Revenue... Vladimir Putin
Space Agency Oversight Committee... Vladimir Putin
Director of Cosmodrone Development... Vladimir Putin
Soyuz Launch Officer... Vladimir Putin
Cosmonauts No. 1 - 6... Vladimir Putin
Women's Tennis Quality Oversight... Vladimir Putin

And that, comrade, is why Russia won the space race.

Re:Whoa. That's a lot more payload!

[daem0n1x]

Soyuz rockets normally carry 3,500 pound payloads into orbit.

This extra boost allows Soyuz to deliver a 6,600 pound payload into orbit.

What's puzzling me is, why would someone want to send all that money into orbit? And, if it's in French Guiana, why do they send British Pounds instead of Euros?