Hammaguir (also written Hamaguir and Hammaguira) () 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 (abbreviated CIEES in French), 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 30° 46′ 41″ N, 3° 3′ 14″ W. The CIEES facility was also used for testing surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles.
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.
Notable Launches
{| class="wikitable"
! style="background:#efefef; align="center" | Date of launch || Satellite || Payload mass || Support rocket || References
|-
| align="center" |18 October 1963 || align="center" | Félicette (cat) || align="right" | 15 kg || align="center" | Véronique || align="center" |
|-
| align="center" |26 November 1965 || align="center" | Astérix-1 || align="right" | 40 kg || align="center" | Diamant || align="center" |
| date=March 2013
References
<div align="center">Neighbouring towns and cities</div>