The third Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite, Sentinel-2C, has launched aboard the last Vega rocket, flight VV24, from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. The rocket lifted off on 5 September at 03:50 CEST (4 September 22:50 local time).
Sentinel-2C was the last liftoff for the Vega rocket – after 12 years of service this was the final flight, the original Vega is being retired to make way for an upgraded Vega-C.
🎥 ESA – European Space Agency Credits: ESA/CNES/Arianespace
The Copernicus Sentinel-2C satellite lifted off on 5 September at 03:50 CEST (4 September 22:50 local time) aboard the last Vega rocket, flight VV24, from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
Sentinel-2C will continue the legacy of delivering high-resolution data that are essential to Copernicus – the Earth observation component of the EU Space Programme. Developed, built and operated by ESA, the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission provides high-resolution optical imagery for a wide range of applications including land, water and atmospheric monitoring.
Sentinel-2C was the last liftoff for the Vega rocket – after 12 years of service this was the final flight, the original Vega is being retired to make way for an upgraded Vega-C.
Credits: ESA/CNES/Arianespace
Chapters: 00:00 Waiting for liftoff 01:10 Liftoff 04:25 Second stage separation 06:18 Sentinel-2C separation 06:46 Acquisition of signal 07:23 Statements
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We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.
Vega joined the family of launch vehicles at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana in 2012. At 30-m tall the rocket weighs 137 tonnes on the launch pad and reaches orbit with three solid-propellant powered stages before the fourth liquid-propellant stage takes over. By rocket standards Vega is lightweight and powerful, the first three stages burn through their fuel and bringing Vega and its satellites to space in just six minutes.
Specialising in launches of small satellites to orbits flying the Earth’s poles, Vega has an impressive roster of missions that it has sent to space. Flagship ESA missions that flew Vega include technology demonstrator and Earth vegetation watcher Proba-V and wind-monitoring satellite Aeolus. Vega’s heaviest payload launched was the 1906-kg LISA Pathfinder, a forerunner to LISA that will measure gravitational waves in space..
In 2015 Vega launched three ESA missions in one year, including reentry demonstrator IXV that showed Europe has the technology to launch a vehicle to space and return it safely to Earth. In less than two hours Vega accelerated IXV to speeds of 27 000 km/h at a height of 412 km before the reentry vehicle splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean. This demonstration mission was a precursor to the reuseable Space Rider spacecraft that will offer regular access to space for research and in orbit validation and demonstration missions and is paired with the Vega family of launchers.
With its Vespa secondary payload adapter, first launched in 2013 on Vega’s second flight, Vega offered different options for payload ride-sharing where multiple satellites are launched on one rocket. In 2020 a variant of Vespa called the Small Spacecraft Mission Service transported over 50 satellites at once to orbit.
Sentinel-2C is the last payload that the Vega rocket launches into space – after 12 years of service. Fittingly the Sentinel-2A and Sentinel-2B satellites were launched on Vega marking a logical conclusion to Vega’s stellar roster of satellites launched.
Credits: ESA – European Space Agency
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We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.
It’s time to say goodbye to our rocket with its final liftoff.
On this last flight, it will carry the Copernicus Sentinel-2C, into orbit. Vega already delivered Sentinel-2A and 2B to space in 2015 and 2017 ensuring constant monitoring of our planet for precision farming, water quality monitoring, natural disaster management and detecting methane emissions.
Since its inaugural flight in 2012, Vega has launched over 20 times, serving Europe with precision and excellence. Now, Vega-C is ready to take the reins, bringing more power and capacity to future missions.
Sentinel-2C is ready for launch! The new satellite will soon join its Copernicus Sentinel-2 family in orbit – where it will continue to provide detailed views of Earth’s land and coastal waters.
The mission is based on a constellation of two identical satellites: Sentinel-2A and Sentinel-2B. The constellation was originally designed to monitor land surfaces – but its scope has since expanded.
It now covers a wide range of applications including deforestation, water quality, monitoring natural disasters, methane emissions and much more. Sentinel-2C, once in orbit, will replace the Sentinel-2A unit – prolonging the life of the Sentinel-2 mission – ensuring a continuous supply of data for Copernicus, the Earth observation component of the EU Space Programme.
Tune in to ESA WebTV on 4 September from 03:30 CEST to watch the satellite soar into space on the last Vega rocket to be launched from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
Credits: ESA – European Space Agency
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We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.
