The European Vega C rocket with two satellites on board fell two minutes after launch
The launch vehicle was supposed to launch the Pleiades Neo 5 and 6 satellites into orbit. It began to fall 2.5 minutes after takeoff. According to preliminary data, the cause was a technical problem in the operation of the second stage
The launch of the Vega C launch vehicle, which was supposed to put the Pleiades Neo 5 and 6 satellites into orbit, ended in failure, follows from the broadcast on the YouTube channel of the Arianespace operator company.
The rocket launched from the Kourou cosmodrome in French Guiana at 2:47 Paris time (4:47 Moscow time). After 2 minutes and 27 seconds, it began to decline sharply. During the broadcast, a representative of the company stated that the reason, according to preliminary data, was a technical problem in the operation of the second stage of the carrier.
Vega C is an upgraded version of the Italian-made Vega launch vehicle. It can put objects into orbit “from nanosatellites to larger optical and radar surveillance spacecraft,” the Arianespace website says. The height of the launch vehicle is 35 m, and the diameter is 3.4 m. It weighs 210 tons.
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This was the first commercial launch of the rocket and its second flight. The first tests took place on July 13 under the supervision of the European Space Agency.
The Pleiades Neo 5 and 6 satellites were developed by Airbus Defense and Space Corporation. They were supposed to be part of a group of two other similar satellites that Arianespace had already put into orbit in 2021. They can take pictures of any point of the Earth in ultra-high resolution up to 30 cm.
A source https://www.rbc.ru/rbcfreenews/63a274189a7947d2371ed9e3
