A FrancoRussian meeting is held every day

Sinnamary. "Sainte Marie" in Creole. His Virgin sheltered from tropical rains, its streets full of vegetation, and its old bridge "Madame de Maintenon"... Welcome to Guyana. Or, to be more precise, in the North of the Department of overseas, about 50 kilometres from Kourou. Here, life flows quietly, two hundred and forty-six years after the arrival of the survivors of the disastrous expedition of Choiseul. Population: about 3.200 people to the last census, and since eight months, hundreds of Russians, who will soon be joined by two hundred other compatriots. A presence which owes nothing to the mildness of the climate. Because to Sinnamary, a new page in space history is to write. After more than 180 takeoffs of Ariane, the Guyanese sky should indeed resonate at the end of the year of the crashing of a new rocket. And what rocket, since it is probably the most famous of them, Soyuz! Partial relocation in Guyana of the Russian launcher, is simply "the major subject of technological cooperation" between Europe and the former USSR, summarizes the Gall, CEO of Arianespace Jean-Yves.

Accommodated at the hotel of the River, at the entrance of the commune, originating for the most part of Samara on the Volga, 860 kilometres south-east of Moscow, workers from the East are there to build the seventh step of firing the legendary Soviet rocket. The seventh in its history after four Plesetsk and Baikonur two. But most importantly, the first to see the day for forty years, and his homeland! "The last was built at the end of the 1960s", confirmed in a French perfect Dmitry Baranov, thirty-nine years, the engineer responsible for the Russian part of the site.

Ideal starting point

For lovers of space, Soyuz is a real myth. A history by many exploits: first satellite Sputnik in 1957, first man, Yuri Gagarin four years later, and 1.740 successful consecutive shots. Absolute record. A closer 29 launches aligned by Ariane V since the accident of flight 157, 11 December 2002. At its hour of glory, the ex-Soviet Union produced tens per year. The rate has declined since then, but the technology is increase. For the greatest benefit of Arianespace, Soyuz partner since 1996. Between the two houses, the cooperation is not yesterday. It started after the collapse of the Berlin wall. To save the space industry in full collapse, Americans and Europeans share the Soviet launchers: Lockheed Martin retrieves Proton, Boeing Zenith, and Arianespace Soyuz. July 10, 1996, François Fillon, then in charge of the space, announces the creation of Starsem, a russo-européenne joint venture responsible for the commercial operation with the Russian authorities. "But soon got the idea to go further," adds Jean-Yves Le Gall.

The launch of commercial telecommunications satellites market is based on the geostationary orbit. And for that, Guiana, close to the equator, is the ideal starting point: from Baikonur, the same rocket can put more than 1 tonne more space (see opposite). Hence the idea to launch Soyuz in... Amazon. Discussions continue until 2001, when Jacques Chirac, visiting the Soyuz from Samara plant, takes the commitment before Dmitri Kozlov, the father of the rocket. "In a very emotional interview, Kozlov said Chirac:"take a step of shooting in Guyana"", recalls Jean-Yves Le Gall.

If Paris saw the opportunity to win a launcher average, without developing it, and additional opportunities Moscow, was to overcome the reluctance of European partners, beginning with that of Berlin. Or industry as the engine manufacturer Snecma, 100 against at the time. For some, Soyuz remains indeed a competitor to Ariane, and especially, many worry about the arrival of the Russians in the Guyanese land: the space industry of the USSR was not long in the hands of the military It will be that the Elysee put all its weight in the balance to impose its views. The first Pickaxe blow is given in 2005.

Previously, it took 344 million euros. The "Construction" of the site part, entrusted primarily to Vinci, was funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) to $ 223 million, of which 63 made by the France. The balance has been paid to Russian industrialists by Arianespace, which borrowed from the EIB, with a guarantee of the French State. Despite its European varnishes, Soyuz in Guyana is therefore before any project blue white red an extension of 40 million was approved in November. "This is the translation of the predominance of the France on the launcher sector," recognizes the representative of ESA at the Space Centre in Guyana, the CSG.

Initially, European leaders had well some fears about the behaviour of Russians fed clichés not always flattering. And in the end Nothing to report, or almost... "They are very well adapted", tells the Mayor without label of the commune, Jean-Claude Madeleine. It must be said that comfort of these workers and engineers was the subject of attention. Surveys in 6 hours, the site of two hours later, they return to the hotel late afternoon (to reconcile French labour and right Russian, their contracts indicate forty hours a week, with additional five). Tourism, it is for the weekend: tours of the Department (an agency has been asked to do this), freshwater fishing (a canal connecting the hotel to the River was specially dug, and a bungalow allows cooking the catch) or on the high seas, cinema (a room was built), canoes, bikes... And for those who want to stay quiet, two channels of the country are available in the rooms... "Some have even brought their women", says Sébastien Haddad, Director of the scene.

2 to 3 million business tax

For the Hall of the River, the arrival of Soyuz in Sinnamary is a gift from the sky. Built in the early 1990s in fire station European Hermes project, the institution has survived only with a grant from the CNES, ended in 2005. Since then, 1.2 million euros has been invested for Soyuz, and without displaying full occupancy has recovered normal levels. "The Russians attract people of Cayenne or of Saint-Laurent du Maroni.". "It's a little attraction," adds the Director of the hotel.

The latter is not only to celebrate. With two tickets-restaurant 10 euros per day, Russian engineers and workers poured between July and December more than 80,000 euros in the three restaurants of Sinnamary, which it welcomes them with open arms. "Attention, Soyuz, is not the eldorado", relativizes the Mayor, who remembers it happened several years before Kourou, the neighbour, do actually enjoys Ariane. Jean-Claude Madeleine awaiting between 2 and 3 million euros of tax (or what happens) in 2010. More importantly, he wants to take the opportunity to transform the commune in a long-term perspective.

In the meantime, Arianespace is refining its business rationale of "launches services" company, with soon 3 launchers catalogue: Ariane for large loads (from 6 to 20 tons in orbit), Soyuz for satellites means (from 2.7 to 4.9 tons), and Vega, the Italian rocket, whose way of shooting will be completed end of the year for the micro-satellites (1.5 tons). In pace with cruise, between 6 and 7 shots per year for the first 3 to 4 fire for the second, and 1 or 2 for the last. "3-Ton satellites represent half of the order book, and can be drawn from Ariane and Soyuz," argued its CEO.

For the time being, 300 people are busy on the site of Sinnamary, which has already gobbled up 2 million hours of work under Joël bar, the Director of the CSG. A Franco-Russian meeting is held every day. And the methods of work are not so different than that. If not, noted Dmitriy Baranov, a certain propensity of Europeans to the... "bureaucracy"! Conversely, stresses André Cuenca, representative of CNES on the spot, for the Russians, the hierarchy does not discuss. "If I make a comment, for example, security compliance to a responsible person, I am sure that the problem is solved immediately", he explains.

Two boats loaded with equipment are still expected to Russia, including one that will bring the mobile gantry, under which to the large difference in Baikonur satellites will be vertically integrated to the rocket, before the final transfer on the launch table. Soyuz must take off for the first time before Christmas. In the presence of Presidents Sarkozy and Medvedev, or their Prime Ministers It is likely, view the political scope of the event. But not necessarily liked. In Russia, this is called "the effect of the head." Everything is going well until Chief arrives...