Hammaguir


Hammaguir is a village in Abadla District, Béchar Province, Algeria, south-west of Béchar. It lies on the N50 national highway between Béchar and Tindouf. The location is notable for its role in French rocketry.
Hamaguir Airport is located there.

Role in French rocketry and spaceflight

Between 1947 and 1967 there was a rocket launch site, the Interarmy Special Vehicles Test Centre, near Hammaguir, used by France for launching sounding rockets and the satellite carrier "Diamant" between 1965 and 1967. The Diamant launch pad at Hammaguir is located at . The CIEES facility was also used for testing surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles.
The first French satellite Astérix was launched from there in 1965.
In honor of its role in the early development of French spaceflight, its name was given to a Martian crater in 1979 and to an asteroid crater in 2009.

Launches

Date of launchSatellitePayload massSupport rocketReferences
26 November 1965Astérix-140 kgDiamant
8 February 1967Diadéme-122.7 kgDiamant
15 February 1967Diadéme-222.7 kgDiamant

Climate

Hammaguir has a hot desert climate, with extremely hot summers and cool winters, and very little precipitation throughout the year.