Hammaguir

Hammaguir
Village and air base
Hammaguir
Coordinates: DZ 30°54′N 3°2′W / 30.900°N 3.033°W / 30.900; -3.033Coordinates: DZ 30°54′N 3°2′W / 30.900°N 3.033°W / 30.900; -3.033
Country  Algeria
Province Béchar Province
District Abadla District
Elevation 744 m (2,441 ft)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)

Hammaguir (also written Hamaguir) 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 here.[1]

Role in French rocketry and spaceflight

Between 1947 and 1967 there was a rocket launch site near Hammaguir, used by France for launching sounding rockets and the satellite carrier "Diamant" between 1965 and 1967.

The first French satellite Astérix was launched from there in 1965.[2]

Far later, its name was given to an asteroid crater.

Launches

Date of launch Satellite Payload mass Support rocket
26 November 1965 Astérix-1 40 kg Diamant
17 February 1966 Diapason-1 19 kg Diamant
8 February 1967 Diadéme-1 22.7 kg Diamant
15 February 1967 Diadéme-2 22.7 kg Diamant

Climate

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

Climate data for Hammaguir
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 17.1
(62.8)
20.3
(68.5)
23.7
(74.7)
28.4
(83.1)
33.2
(91.8)
38.0
(100.4)
42.6
(108.7)
41.2
(106.2)
35.3
(95.5)
28.8
(83.8)
21.6
(70.9)
17.6
(63.7)
28.98
(84.18)
Daily mean °C (°F) 9.8
(49.6)
12.8
(55)
16.2
(61.2)
20.6
(69.1)
25.3
(77.5)
30.0
(86)
34.3
(93.7)
33.3
(91.9)
27.9
(82.2)
21.7
(71.1)
15.0
(59)
10.7
(51.3)
21.47
(70.63)
Average low °C (°F) 2.5
(36.5)
5.3
(41.5)
8.8
(47.8)
12.9
(55.2)
17.4
(63.3)
22.1
(71.8)
26.1
(79)
25.4
(77.7)
20.6
(69.1)
14.6
(58.3)
8.5
(47.3)
3.8
(38.8)
14
(57.19)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 5
(0.2)
5
(0.2)
7
(0.28)
5
(0.2)
4
(0.16)
3
(0.12)
3
(0.12)
4
(0.16)
6
(0.24)
9
(0.35)
11
(0.43)
6
(0.24)
68
(2.7)
Source: climate-data.org[3]

References

  1. "Hamaguir Airport". OurAirports. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  2. "Le CIEES (Centre Interarmées d'Essais d'Engins Spéciaux)" (in French). Archived from the original on before 12 March 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2013. Check date values in: |archive-date= (help)
  3. "Climate data for: Hamaguir". climate-data.org. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
Neighbouring towns and cities
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