The launch pad of the Russian Soyuz rocket was blown up at the European Kourou cosmodrome

The launch pad of the Russian Soyuz-ST rocket was blown up at the European Kourou cosmodrome. This is stated on the Techniques Spatiales page on the social network X.

The spaceport is located in French Guiana. The mobile tower was destroyed on April 23, according to Dmitry Strugovets, an expert in the field of cosmonautics, former head of the press service of the Roscosmos State Corporation, in his telegram channel.

"A mobile maintenance tower was blown up at the Guiana Space Center on the former launch complex of the Russian Soyuz-ST launch vehicle. Prior to that, the legendary tulip was cut on the launcher itself — four truss supports on which the rocket hung before launch, and cable masts," Strugovets writes.

According to Techniques Spatiales, 27 launches were made from 2011 to 2022. After SMO began, the site was occupied by the European startup Maiaspace — from there they launched a reusable launch vehicle for the Maya orbital flight.