-PJ
....Russian ground crews manage hands-on Soyuz launch preparations and the final countdown from a control center near the launch pad on the northwestern frontier of the Guiana Space Center, which is also home to Europe’s Ariane 5 and Vega rockets.
But Arianespace has final authority for Soyuz missions taking off from French Guiana. Friday’s liftoff was the ninth time a Soyuz rocket has launched from the tropical spaceport since beginning operations there in 2011....
http://spaceflightnow.com/soyuz/vs09/140822anomaly/#.U_kkOtRdVwA
Russian ground crews manage hands-on Soyuz launch preparations...