Sattelite launching company Arianespace launched a new Earth observation satellite for aerospace company Airbus Monday night along with four other satellites.
The Vega rocket, the smallest of the European rockets, was launched carrying five satellites, including Airbus’ second satellite of the constellation Pléiades Neo for Earth observation.
This marks the second launch this year of the Vega rocket, a crucial component of European ambitions to compete with rivals such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX in the booming commercial aerospace market.
The rocket’s main cargo was Pléiades Neo, a high-resolution satellite and the second of four for a new Earth observation constellation operated by Airbus. The first was put in orbit in April by a Vega rocket.
The rocket blasted off from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou at 10:47 pm on Monday, successfully delivering the satellites in just under two hours.
In addition to Pléiades Neo, the rocket carried four CubeSats called BRO-4, SUNSTORM, LEDSAT and RADCUBE, comprising a total payload of approximately 1029 kilograms that was delivered into a sun-synchronous orbit, according to Arianespace.
The Pleiades Neo satellite will offer high-resolution imaging of Earth for military or civilian use such as disaster response, Airbus said.
The two 2021 launches are a boost to the Vega program, an effort involving 10 European countries which suffered a setback in November last year when a rocket failed minutes after liftoff and disintegrated.
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