The Olympic Games 2024 have officially begun, and so the Olympic Torch Relay has come to an end. From May 8 to July 26, the Olympic Flame embarked on a marathon journey across mainland France and its overseas territories. The relay began in the port of Marseille after the flame’s voyage from Piraeus, Greece. The route covered towns, cities, and sites across 65 territories. Throughout the 68 stages of the relay, the torch also witnessed a couple of inspiring space-related events.
Rumble in the Guiana jungle
A notable highlight was the flame’s rendezvous with the Kourou Space Center, known as Europe’s Spaceport (hence the name of this blog). Since its establishment in the sixties, the space center has been a strategic hub coordinated by the European Space Agency, facilitating the launch of rockets like the Ariane and Vega. Just one month after the Olympic visit, the exotic location in French Guiana was the scene for the inaugural flight of Europe’s new heavy-lift rocket, Ariane 6.
Did you know?
The Kourou Space Centre in French Guiana is strategically located near the equator to maximise launch efficiency and safety. This prime location situated on the north-eastern coast of South America takes advantage of the Earth’s highest rotational speed, providing rockets with an extra velocity boost reducing fuel consumption. Additionally, it offers optimal launch angles for various orbital missions. The nearby ocean and low population density further enhance safety, allowing for debris to fall harmlessly into the sea and ensuring clear launch paths. These factors make Kourou Europe’s gateway to the galaxy.
After visiting French Guiana, Torch Relay Scouts set course to other overseas territories located in three of the five oceans of the globe. From the Atlantic Ocean it went to New Caledonia and French Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean, Réunion in the Indian Ocean, back to Guadeloupe and Martinique in the Atlantic Ocean. With the surfing competition hosted in Tahiti (French Polynesia), the Paris Olympics continue to span beyond the oceans, some 16 000 km away from the capital of France!
Blackbelt, astronaut and Space Olympian
Throughout the Torch Relay, respected public figures as ambassadors engaged the whole of France. Among them Thomas Pesquet, France’s most experienced astronaut with almost 400 days spent in space. The French astronaut is known for enjoying a variety of sports such as basketball, rugby and running. He also has a blackbelt in judo which he even brought during his first space mission in 2016.
During the previous games held in 2021, Thomas also took part in the first ever Space Olympics! The event took place during a Saturday afternoon on the International Space Station and consisted of four disciplines by seven athletes from four nations in two teams. It created crew cohesion and morale boosted like never before. The first Space Olympics saw Team Crew Dragon and Team Soyuz compete in lack-of-floor-routine, no-handball, synchronised space swimming and weightless sharpshooting.
Did you know?
Due to weightlessness, astronauts lose muscle and bone mass. To counteract this, they perform two and a half hours of exercise daily, focusing on core, spine, leg, and back muscles. During their sessions, ground personnel monitor their heart rates, the loads being lifted, and the acceleration, along with all other protocols. This process is highly scientific, similar to the modern approach in sports where all efforts are closely tracked.
Illuminating the skies
Over the past few decades, the Olympic Flame has visited space facilities multiple times. As mentioned in a previous blog post, Olympic torches have even been launched into space.
Calling all Olympians, athletes and entrepreneurs
Currently, the European Space Agency is running two sports themed calls, one even fully dedicated to the Olympics:
- Space for Olympic Games (see one of the projects that came through this funding call)
- Space for the Sports Car Sector (for inspiration see also this blog post: Gear up with space technology)
You can find more space and sports related stories in the blog post area, with more sports to be covered in the future!
Follow The SpaceSport on LinkedIn and Facebook!
