Europe’s Vega-C rocket has resumed operations, achieving a successful launch on December 5, 2024, after a two-year suspension due to a failure during its previous mission. The rocket, operated by French aerospace company Arianespace, carried the Copernicus Sentinel-1C Earth-observation satellite into orbit. The launch took place at 4:20 p.m. EST from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, following a postponed attempt caused by a mechanical issue on December 4.
As per sources, the Vega-C rocket deployed Sentinel-1C into a sun-synchronous orbit approximately 435 miles (700 km) above Earth. The satellite, part of the European Union’s Copernicus Earth-observation programme, serves as a replacement for Sentinel-1B, which became non-operational due to a technical fault in 2022. Sentinel-1C will work alongside Sentinel-1A to capture high-resolution imagery of Earth’s surface, providing critical data for environmental monitoring and disaster management.
Christoph Kautz, Director of Satellite Navigation and Earth Observation at the Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS), stated during a prelaunch briefing that over 30 petabytes of data have been generated since the Sentinel-1 programme began. He also noted the programme’s significant role in supplying users with over 150,000 products derived from this data.
Reportedly, the two-year hiatus of Vega-C was attributed to a redesign of its second-stage rocket engine nozzle, following the failure of its second mission in December 2022. Giulio Ranzo, CEO of Avio, which designs the rocket under a European Space Agency (ESA) contract, described the relaunch as a critical step in fulfilling 15 upcoming missions in Vega-C’s backlog, in a statment.
The ESA has also announced plans to replace Vega-C with Vega-E, a next-generation rocket featuring an upgraded liquid oxygen-methane engine, known as the M-10. According to ESA Director of Space Transportation Toni Tolker-Nielsen, in a statement, contracts for its implementation are expected to be signed by year-end.
Sentinel-1A, operational since 2014, is slated for replacement by Sentinel-1D in September 2025, further enhancing the constellation’s observational capabilities.
Beyoncé's much-anticipated halftime performance, part of Netflix's NFL Christmas Gameday event, is set to release…
An undersea volcano situated roughly 470 kilometers off Oregon's coastline, Axial Seamount, is showing signs…
As researchers delve into the cosmos, organic molecules—the building blocks of life—emerge as a recurring…
Director Aditya Sarpotdar, following his successful venture "Munjya," has announced the release of his treasure…
The psychological thriller Mothers' Instinct, featuring Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, and Kelly Carmichael, delves into…
Payal Kapadia's award-winning film, All We Imagine As Light, will soon be available for streaming,…