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Europe’s Vega-C Rocket Launches Satellite Into Orbit After Delays

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Europe’s new Vega-C rocket launches from French Guiana for the first time since a failure two years ago, AFP

Europe’s new Vega-C rocket launched from French Guiana on Thursday, successfully placing a satellite into orbit for the first time since a failed flight two years ago.

After two days of delay, the rocket, which is crucial for Europe’s autonomous access to space, was successfully launched, carrying the Sentinel-1C satellite of the European Union’s Copernicus Earth observation program.

The satellite, which provides data and services for observing the Earth to understand the effects of climate change, entered an orbit about 700 kilometers (435 miles) above Earth one hour and 43 minutes after launch, to loud applause from Jupiter Mission Control.

“With the launch of Sentinel-1C into orbit, ESA continues the Sentinel rocket’s tradition of steadfast protection of Earth and embodies why Europe needs to fly safely: because what we send into space brings benefits to Earth, and it all starts with the launch,” ESA Director General Josef Aschbach said in a statement.

ESA added that the satellite will provide “high-resolution radar imagery to monitor Earth’s changing environment” and offer “new capabilities to detect and monitor maritime traffic”.

It was the first launch of the lightweight rocket since December 2022, when it failed to reach orbit and lost two satellites on its first commercial flight, dealing a new blow to a continent already struggling to get its missions into space.

The rocket was grounded for two years while the nozzle of the Zefiro 40 rocket engine, which caused the failure, was redesigned.

The return flight of Vega-C was initially scheduled to take off from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on Tuesday.

The launch was delayed a day to allow for “additional checks on the electrical connections of the rocket’s upper stage,” said Toni Tork Nielsen, ESA’s director of space transportation.

But just hours before launch, it was delayed another 24 hours.

French space agency CNES said in a statement on Wednesday that the accident “was caused by a mechanical failure that prevented the removal of the Vega-C mobile gantry.

The gantry is a movable frame that supports the rocket on the launch pad.

In the latest attempt, Vega-C took off as planned at 6:20 pm local time (21:20 GMT).

Earlier on Thursday, the European Space Agency’s Proba-3 mission to explore the sun’s outer atmosphere was successfully launched aboard an Indian rocket.

Europe has been struggling to find ways to launch missions independently since Russia withdrew its rockets in 2022 due to the war in Ukraine.

The problem has been exacerbated by a four-year delay in the launch of Europe’s new Ariane 6 rocket, forcing the continent to turn to rivals such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

However, the successful maiden flight of the heavy-lift Ariane 6 rocket in July provided some help to Europe’s space efforts.

The lighter Vega-C is designed to carry small satellites into low Earth orbit.

Its predecessor, Vega, had its last launch in September, making the return of Vega-C all the more important.

Tolk-Nielsen said four launches are planned using Vega-C next year and five more in 2026.

As part of the European Union’s Copernicus program, the Sentinel-1C satellite will use radar to monitor Earth’s environment and provide climate and other data to governments and businesses.

The Vega-C rocket was grounded for two years while the nozzles of the Zefiro 40 rocket engines that caused the failure were redesigned. AFP

Europe's Vega-C rocket delays satellite launch

European Vega C light launch vehicle AFP

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