Demolition work has been completed to renovate the Space Museum of French Guiana. Construction began in August 2022, co-financed by the European Union, the French Space Agency (CNES) and the French Guiana Space Center (CSG).
The permanent exhibition and some of the old buildings of the visitor center handed over in 1996 were demolished, and the visitor center is now being modernized. The goal is to create an educational and cultural space that meets the challenges of the 21st century and interactively presents the results of space research created in collaboration between ESA and CNES. The Space Museum, which opened 26 years ago, has become one of the most visited cultural sites in Guyana, essential to the region’s education and tourism strategy, which attracts approx. It receives 20,000 visitors. For the funding background, the French Space Agency and the European Space Agency signed an agreement of nearly 760 million euros in December 2020, which is located in South America. Guyana Space Centre Ready to update. France will contribute 253 million euros, while member states of the European Space Agency will contribute 506 million euros to the project.
About 80 percent of the amount is consumed by replacing outdated technical equipment, increasing safety and increasing energy efficiency. The latter will be achieved through the installation of two biomass power plants and two solar collectors. The main goal is to shorten the duration of missions on the ground, which elapse between the arrival of the satellites and the actual start, but the CSG management considers updating the visitor center to be at least as important, so that people can better understand the purpose of the facility with the help of today’s digital technology.
During the renovation, the octagonal floor area of the existing building will be preserved, but the entire interior of the space will be changed to create a new three-story exhibition area. In addition to the permanent exhibition space, another 200 square meters will be built for temporary exhibitions and a renovated planetarium. According to the plans, on weekdays, for students, and on weekends and holidays, the general public can enjoy the educational and educational programs organized in the renewed spaces. The total area of the building will be expanded by a total of 2,267m², while the public spaces will be expanded by 294m².
The new exhibit will guide visitors through the history of the space center’s construction, as well as showcasing the difficult hours when families were displaced by construction. LEGO models of the first launch vehicles (Véronique, Diamant and Europa), a Soyuz model and a 3D animated video will show the development of the spaceport from scratch. In the Rocket Garden we can learn about the Ariane-1, 3, 4, 5, 6, Vega and Vega-C rockets, and the videos will recall the famous launches.
CSG, the legendary site of European space adventures, where many dedicated men and women work: video and photo images of the staff will introduce visitors to the daily life of the centre. Weather forecasting, positioning, telemetry, airport … Those interested can learn in a playful way the parameters monitored by CSG operations personnel for safe missile launches. With the help of interactive interfaces, they can draw the rocket of their dreams, launch it virtually, and observe the flight stages of the rocket.
In Jupiter Hall, you can watch a rocket launch at any time on the giant projector from the comfort of your seats. The Jupiter 2 room, delivered in 1996, on the occasion of the 82nd Ariane launch, is the soul of the center on Kourou, the control unit is located here, where specialists coordinate rocket launches. Press representatives, guests and visitors can keep up to date with all that is happening in the operating sector during the start from 230 comfortable seats through huge glass panels. If there is space left after bookings by business associates and the press, you can even register as a tourist for the actual departure.
Another interesting module in the exhibition will show the purpose of sending satellites into space, how they serve communications, positioning and Earth observation… Visitors can even complete their own satellite mission. Once the mission objective has been determined (for example, observing turtles, locating a site in the Amazon rainforest, or making a phone call in an isolated village), the appropriate satellite, orbiter, and rocket must be selected.
Covered in golden light with the help of a projection system, children can become satellites themselves: they can determine their mass, listen to the sounds of space, and see the Earth from a perspective as if they were in orbit.
How can biodiversity be preserved in an industrial facility such as a space centre? The Amazon rainforest and starry skies come to life in comfortable rooms with the help of modern technology. Visitors will be informed about all measures taken to protect the environment.
In addition to CSG’s past and current challenges, the exhibition will present future development concepts and spaceport facilities, as well as planned missions for European space research in the near future, with video films. The visitor center is expected to open in April 2024.
(Image source: ESA, CNES, GSC)
