A European space agency successfully launched an earth observation satellite on the rocket’s first flight since a failure nearly two years ago, in a major victory for its flagship projects.
The launch of the Sentinel-1C satellite, built by Thales Alenia Space, was carried out by the Vega C rocket from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana. The three solid-fuel lower stages of the rocket performed as expected, followed by three burns by the liquid-propellant upper stage. The payload was deployed about an hour and 45 minutes after liftoff.
The successful launch marks a significant step forward for Europe’s access to space, coming after nearly two years without a Vega C flight due to a nozzle failure on its second stage in December 2022. The European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Commission collaborated on the mission as part of the Copernicus program, which aims to monitor Earth’s environment.
The Vega C rocket is set to make four launches in 2025, with Avio taking over launch services from Arianespace after their contract expires. The successful flight is a major boost for ESA and Avio, who are working to increase launch cadence for the upcoming years.
Source: https://spacenews.com/vega-c-successfully-returns-to-flight