The European Space Agency's (ESA) launch site, near Kourou in French Guiana. It handles about 12 launches a year. The location on the northeast coast of South America is ideal for launching geostationary satellites, since they must orbit above the Equator. CSG is operated by the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales, which began launching French rockets there in 1969. To date, the ESA has invested more than €2 billion in improving and developing the ground facilities at Europe’s Spaceport. ESA owns the special infrastructure built for the Ariane, Soyuz, and Vega launchers; this includes launcher and satellite preparation buildings, launch operation facilities, and a plant for making solid propellant and integrating solid rocket motors.