Arianespace
Arianespace is a French company for space launch systems developed by ArianeGroup, namely the Ariane and Vega launcher families, created in 1980. The company defines itself in its own terms as a "launch operator". Since 2007, following an agreement between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Russian space agency Roscosmos, Arianespace has also been responsible for launching the Soyuz launchers. The Ariane launch base, located in Kourou in French Guiana (Guyana Space Center), offers Arianespace a significant advantage over its competitors due to its proximity to the equator in an area free of any risk of tropical cyclones.