Vega was an expendable launch system in use by Arianespace which was jointly developed by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and the European Space Agency (ESA). Development began in 1998 and the first launch took place from the Guiana Space Centre on 13 February 2012.[1]

Vega rocket before liftoff with Sentinel-2A

It is designed to launch small payloads — 300 to 2,500 kilograms (660 to 5,510 lb) satellites for scientific and Earth observation missions to polar and low Earth orbits.[2] The reference Vega mission is a polar orbit bringing a spacecraft of 1,500 kilograms (3,300 lb) to an altitude of 700 kilometres (430 mi).

The rocket, named after the star Vega,[3] is a single-body launcher (no strap-on boosters) with three solid rocket stages: the P80 first stage, the Zefiro 23 second stage, and the Zefiro 9 third stage. The upper module is a liquid rocket called AVUM. The improved version of the P80 stage, the P120C, is also used as the side boosters of the Ariane 6. Italy is the leading contributor to the Vega program (65%), followed by France (13%).[4] Other participants include Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Sweden.[5]

Launch statistics

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Rocket configurations

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1
2
3
'12
'13
'14
'15
'16
'17
'18
'19
'20
'21
'22
'23
'24
  •   Vega
  •   Vega C
  •   Vega C (scheduled)

Launch outcomes

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2
3
'12
'13
'14
'15
'16
'17
'18
'19
'20
'21
'22
'23
'24
  •   Failure
  •   Success
  •   Scheduled

Orbits

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1
2
3
'12
'13
'14
'15
'16
'17
'18
'19
'20
'21
'22
'23
'24

Past launches

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Note: Date and time of start (as count-down zero, ignition or lift-off?) is listed in UTC. (Although local time at Guiana Space Centre (CSG) in Kourou, French Guiana, South America is UTC–3.)

2013–2019

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2020–present

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Future launches

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See also

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Notes

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References

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  2. ^ Amos, Jonathan (13 February 2012). "Vega launcher makes first flight". BBC News. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
  3. ^ Tariq Malik (13 February 2012). "Europe Launches New Vega Rocket on Maiden Voyage". Space.com. Retrieved 29 May 2014. The Italian-built Vega rocket is named after the second-brightest star in the northern hemisphere
  4. ^ Svitak, Amy (6 February 2012). "European Vega Small-Class Launcher Targets Government Market". Aviation Week. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  5. ^ Clark, Steven (14 February 2012). "Vega launcher program courts German participation". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
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  9. ^ VERTA is an acronym for Vega Research and Technology Accompaniment and designates Vega's missions aiming "to demonstrate the flexibility of the Vega launch system" VERTA framework includes four ESA missions (PROBA-V, ADM-Aeolus, LISA Pathfinder and IXV), but also some missions of National Agencies (like ASI). Source: ESA (20 November 2013) VERTA Programme ASI (2015) PRISMA Precursore IperSpettrale (Hyperspectral Precursor) of the application mission
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