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The French Space Agency, CNES, has been found liable for destroying protected habitats at the former Diamant launch facility.
Despite knowing about the protected species, CNES contractors demolished the area and filled spawning ponds.
CERATO expressed satisfaction that CNES was held legally liable but criticized the leniency of the sanctions.
Between 2019 and February 2020, CNES cleared areas and removed vegetation at the Diamant facility.
The regional environmental authority of French Guiana, DGTM, informed CNES in March 2022 that it needed authorisations before beginning demolition or earthworks.
CNES is constructing a new microlauncher complex, with expected costs around €50 million.
An ecological expert was appointed in early 2023 to assess the damage caused by CNES.
An inspection by DGTM in August 2022 revealed further destruction of protected habitats linked to CNES’s PV2 solar farm project.
A judicial investigation into CNES for habitat destruction was opened by the Cayenne Public Prosecutor in late 2022.
The lawsuit process lasted nearly four years and allowed CNES to avoid potential fines of up to €750,000.
A new plea agreement proposed in late 2025 included a €50,000 penalty for CNES if it failed to complete restoration within three years.
CNES is required to finance ecological compensation actions at the Guiana Space Centre.
The LUCI project is supported by CNES and reflects a broader French effort to advance space-based optical communications under national and European initiatives.
LUCI draws on earlier institutional work in France on space optical links, including the Silex and LOLA programs of the 2000s and recent efforts such as DYSCO under CNES and CO-OP under the France Relance plan.
PLD Space will be the first private firm to operate from the historic ELM-Diamant area within the European spaceport, managed by CNES.
The pilot phase of the CNES 'Astronaut for a Day' initiative ran from March to June 2024.
The CNES initiative closely mirrors similar programmes run by the Portuguese Space Agency since 2022 and the Luxembourg Space Agency since 2023.
The French space agency CNES has expanded its 'Astronaut for a Day' programme.
CNES will announce the finalists on 16 March 2026.
In the 2026 edition, CNES opened the application process to learners across France.