Less than 48 hours after his arrival, French President Emmanuel Macron will conclude his trip to Guyana this Tuesday with a visit to the Kourou Space Center, an emblematic center of this territory.
He will then fly to Brazil to seal the warming of relations with the South American giant in the Amazon.
On Monday, from the French overseas territory, he announced several measures, in particular to renew the local fishing fleet, faced with illegal fishing from Brazil.
He also said he was open to the installation of a “legal gold panning” sector in “certain places”, with the objective of occupying certain sites to “reduce illegal activity”.
This Tuesday will be dedicated to space.
In Camopi, in the Amazonian Park of Guyana, a national park as big as Belgium!
It is a treasure of biodiversity and an exceptional ecosystem that we protect, preserve and enhance.
pic.twitter.com/tK51PQpuTw
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) March 25, 2024
“A true spaceport of Europe”
The Kourou center, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, is preparing the inaugural flight of the future heavy launcher Ariane 6, scheduled between mid-June and the end of July.
The program, which should give Europe back its autonomy in access to space, was four years late due to Covid and development difficulties.
In the meantime, Ariane 5 completed its last flight on July 5, 2023, with a total of 117 launches to its credit since 1996.
The future of the Kourou center must “be redefined to make it a true space port for Europe”, insists the Élysée, which points to heightened competition on launchers, in particular with Elon Musk's SpaceX at the forefront, as well as the development of micro and mini launchers.
VIDEO.
Final successful flight for the Ariane 5 rocket, after 27 years of service
Emmanuel Macron will present on this occasion four small rocket projects of which France will finance the first flight in order to bring out new players.
According to our information, Latitude, a start-up based in Reims, and HyPrSpace, a Bordeaux company, will be cited for their microlaunchers.
The Ile-de-France company Sirius and the ArianeGroup subsidiary MaiaSpace will also be at the forefront, for larger launchers.
This should allow France to increase shipments into space.
SpaceX alone carried out 107 launches last year, compared to three (two Ariane 5s and a Vega rocket) for the Europeans.
Departure for Brazil in the afternoon
Emmanuel Macron will travel to Brazil on Tuesday afternoon for a state visit of almost three days.
The two heads of state will meet in the Amazon, in Belem, in the north of Brazil, to demonstrate that economic development can rhyme with environmental protection.
“We are in a Franco-Brazilian moment,” welcomes the Élysée.
“France is an essential actor, essential for Brazilian foreign policy,” adds Brazilian diplomacy.
The two heads of state are also expected to discuss defense, with France and Brazil already cooperating on the production of four conventionally powered submarines - the third will be launched on Wednesday in the presence of the two leaders - and helicopters.
Brasilia could also call on Paris to help it develop nuclear propulsion on a fifth submarine.
But there are also angry subjects, starting with the free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia), which France is blocking against the backdrop of an agricultural crisis in Europe.
Cooperation in the fight against illegal gold mining with Brazil will also be on the table.
On the international level, Emmanuel Macron should recall the importance that the G20, chaired this year by Brazil, must continue to give to the war in Ukraine.
Lula, who poses as champion of the “global South”, insists for his part that responsibilities are shared in Ukraine and refuses to take sides against Russia.