Vega, light launcher, Avio S.p.A., Colleferro, Roma

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Vega launches THEOS-2, FORMOSAT-7R/TRITON and 10 CubeSats

Oct 9, 2023

For Arianespace’s VV23 mission, a Vega launch vehicle launched two Earth observation satellites, THEOS-2 and FORMOSAT-7R/TRITON, into Sun-synchronous orbit, from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, on 9 October 2023, at 01:36 UTC (8 October, at 22:36 local time). THEOS-2 (Thailand Earth Observation System-2) a high-resolution Earth observation optical satellite. FORMOSAT-7R/TRITON, developed by the Taiwanese Space Agency (TASA), is equipped with the Global Navigation Satellite System-Reflectometry (GNSS-R), which collects signals that bounce off the sea surface. The VV23 mission also launched 10 CubeSats: ANSER LEADER, ANSER FOLLOWER 1, ANSER FOLLOWER 2, ESTCube-2, N3SS, PRETTY, MACSAT, PVCC, CSC-1 & 2.

 

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The last Vega launch
Sep 5, 2024

The last launch of the Vega launch vehicle (Arianespace VV24 mission) launched the Copernicus Sentinel-2C Earth observation satellite into Sun-synchronous orbit from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, on 5 September 2024, at 01:50 UTC (4 September, at 22:50 local time).

 

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Vega-C launches Sentinel-1C

Dec 5, 2024

For Arianespace’s VV25 mission, a Vega-C launch vehicle launched the Sentinel-1C Earth observation satellite from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, on 5 December 2024, at 21:20 UTC (18:20 local time).

 

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Vega-C launches Biomass

Apr 29, 2025

For Arianespace’s VV26 mission, a Vega-C launch vehicle launched ESA’s Biomass Earth observation satellite from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, on 29 April 2025, at 09:15 UTC (06:15 local time). According to ESA, “Biomass is the first satellite equipped with a P-band synthetic aperture radar, which can penetrate the forest canopy to measure the ‘biomass’ – the woody trunks, branches and stems, which is where trees store most of their carbon”.