After taking delivery of the CCU4 satellite transporter in November 2023, the French space agency CNES is moving ahead with testing the newest addition to the Guiana Space Centre’s infrastructure.
The Conteneur de Charges Utiles No. 4 (CCU4) is essentially a large container that is utilized to protect satellites from the elements while they’re being moved between buildings on the grounds of the space centre. It arrived in French Guiana on 3 November aboard the maiden transatlantic voyage of the Ariane 6 transport ship Canopée. The ship makes use of four rigid sails to reduce its overall fuel consumption.
CCU4 weighs 33 tonnes and stands at 14 metres high with a diameter of 5.8 metres. It is towed by a 13-metre-long trailer at speeds of around 15 km/h. CCU4 has a carrying capacity of 16 tonnes, which is less than the 23-tonne capacity of its predecessor CCU3, which is still in service. The difference between the two also extends beyond the carrying capacities.
When CCU3 was introduced 23 years ago, it was billed as a rolling clean room with generators to power air conditioning and filtration systems. With CCU4, CNES took a much more basic approach with an inert system sufficiently isolated to maintain a satisfactory internal environment without the aid of external power. The only element that has been maintained is an overpressure system.
“The CCU4 will work a bit like a cooler. It is made up of 2 half-caps which will close on the satellite, forming a sort of cocoon which will enter the airlocks of the buildings concerned,” explained Thierry Figeac, deputy of the ground sub-directorate at the Guiana Space Centre. The system, relatively autonomous, does not require an overhead crane.”
Before CCU4 is commissioned and begins service supporting Ariane 6 and Vega C missions, it will undergo testing. The aim of this series of tests is to characterize the vibrations and acceleration experienced during the diving phases and to ensure the effectiveness of its temperature and particle control.
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