The Guiana Space Centre is a French and European spaceport near Kourou in French Guiana since 1968. The location was chosen as it fulfils the two major geographical requirements of such a site: it is quite close to the equator, so that the spinning earth can impart some extra velocity to the rockets for free when launched eastward, and it has open sea to the east, so that lower stages of rockets and debris from launch failures cannot fall on human habitations.