KOUROU, France | The Vega rocket, Europe’s smallest launcher, took off Monday evening from Kourou, in French Guiana, to place an Earth observation satellite belonging to the Pleiades Neo constellation.
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The craft left Earth at 10:47 p.m. (local time) at the Guyanese Space Center, on a mission that is supposed to take just under two hours. This is Arianespace’s second Vega launch since the start of the year, and the 19th launch since the launcher’s first flight in 2012.
It holds the second of four high-resolution satellites of the constellation Pleiades Neo – the first in orbit since April 28 – as well as four nano-satellites, cubes.
The main cargo is a modern optical satellite manufactured by Pléiades Neo 4. and for Airbus Defense and Space Intelligence, and is planned to be deployed at an orbit of 625 km.
Three of the four cubes are for the European Space Agency for science missions while the fourth is for a French startup, Unseenlabs, that specializes in maritime traffic monitoring.
Evan McKenzie is a contributor at Vaughantoday.ca, covering a wide range of topics including local news, politics, business, technology, sports, entertainment, and lifestyle. He focuses on clear, balanced reporting that helps readers stay informed about current events and issues that matter to their communities. His work aims to provide useful information, timely updates, and relevant stories presented in an accessible and reader-friendly way.