The European Space Agency’s Vegas rocket made its final launch Wednesday night from its spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, to deploy the Copernicus Sentinel-2C satellite into low-Earth orbit. Photo by the European Space Agency/Wikimedia Commons
Sept. 4 (UPI) — The European Space Agency launched the final Vega rocket into space late Wednesday with a mission to carry the Copernicus Sentinel-2C satellite into low-Earth orbit.
The launch occurred at 10:50 p.m. GFT from the ESA’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, after a planned launch Tuesday was postponed due to electrical issues that have been fixed.
Once deployed, the satellite will provide high-resolution imagery while monitoring land, water and atmospheric conditions.
The satellite will work with two other identical satellites that fly 488 miles above the Earth in the same low-Earth orbit but at opposite ends to cover the entirety of the planet’s land and coastal waters every five days.
Each satellite contains a high-resolution multi-spectral imager that provides shortwave-infrared, near-infrared and visible images of the electromagnetic spectrum.
The imager covers 188 miles of water and terrain with each image taken and provides continual imagery across 13 spectral bands.
Once deployed, the Sentinel-2C will replace the Sentinel-2A satellite.
Another satellite to be launched, the Sentinel-2D, eventually will replace the Sentinel-2B satellite to ensure continuity for the Copernicus Services mission and others.
The Vega rocket being used to put the Sentinel-2C into orbit launched for the final time. It was first launched in February 2012.
The small Avio-designed rocket is the first managed entirely by the ESA and is operated by Arianespace.
The rocket has four stages, the first three of which use motors with solid propellant while the final stage uses liquid propulsion.
After completing its final mission, the rocket will have launched 22 times in the past 12 years and deployed more than 100 missions into space.
An improved Vega-C rocket will replace the original Vega rocket after it concludes its final launch.
