Europe’s Vega Rocket Carrying Sentinel-2C Satellite Successfully Completes Its Final Mission

The Vega rocket, operated by France-based Arianespace company, launched from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on the night of 4 September at 9:50 p.m. EDT (10:50 p.m. local time in Kourou; 0150 GMT on 5 September). It carried the Sentinel-2C Earth-observing satellite into space, successfully deploying it into orbit 57.5 minutes after liftoff as scheduled.

The launch was initially planned for 3 September, but problems with the ground connections delayed it. This was the last mission for the standard version of the Vega rocket.

Standard Vega Rocket’s Story

According to Arianespace’s specifications, Vega stands about 100 feet (30 meters) tall. The rocket can carry up to 3,300 pounds (1,500 kilograms) of cargo to a circular orbit 435 miles (700 kilometres) above Earth.

The Vega rocket was first launched in February 2012 and has completed 22 missions, 20 of which were successful. The last mission marked the final flight for the standard version of Vega, as Arianespace shifted its small satellite operations to the newer, more powerful Vega C model.

Vega C To Replace Standart Vega

The Vega C has launched twice so far—first in July 2022, with a successful mission, and again in December 2022. Unfortunately, the December mission failed due to a flaw in the rocket’s second-stage nozzle. 

The Vega C is expected to return to flight later this year.

Sentinel-2C Satellite

Sentinel-2 is part of Europe’s Copernicus Earth-observation program, which operates twin satellites — currently Sentinel-2A and Sentinel-2B — to monitor Earth from 488 miles (786 km) above. 

According to the European Space Agency, these satellites capture high-resolution optical images for various uses, such as tracking land changes, water resources, and atmospheric conditions. 

Sentinel-2C is set to replace Sentinel-2A, which was launched in June 2015 on a Vega rocket. Sentinel-2D will eventually replace Sentinel-2B, though its launch date has not yet been confirmed.