WASHINGTON — A Vega C rocket successfully launched five imaging and Earth science spacecraft late July 25.
The Vega C lifted off from the European spaceport at Kourou, French Guiana, at 10:03 p.m. Eastern. The spacecraft deployed the CO3D mission into a 495-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit about 54 minutes after liftoff, then released the MicroCarb mission more than 45 minutes later into a 650-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit.
CO3D, or Constellation Optique 3D, is a set of four imaging satellites built by Airbus Defence and Space in partnership with the French space agency CNES. The spacecraft, weighing 285 kilograms each, will provide stereo imagery at a resolution of 50 centimeters. Those images will be used to create a three-dimensional digital surface model for military and civil applications.
MicroCarb is a single spacecraft weighing 180 kilograms that will collect data on atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide with a precision of one part per million and a spatial resolution of two kilometers by two kilometers. CNES is the operator of MicroCarb, with funding support from the European Commission and U.K. Space Agency. Airbus built the instrument and Thales Alenia Space the spacecraft.
The launch, designated VV27 by launch service provider Arianespace, was the second this year for the Vega C, after the launch of the European Space Agency’s Biomass spacecraft April 29. It was the third launch this year for Arianespace overall, with the Ariane 6 launching the CSO-3 reconnaissance satellite for the French government in March.
“VV27 is a great example of what our teams do best: delivering complex missions with precision. Vega C successfully placed five satellites into two different orbits,” said David Cavaillolès, chief executive of Arianespace, in a statement after the launch. “This mission shows once again how Arianespace contributes to Europe’s autonomous access to space and supports Airbus and the CNES in launching innovative missions furthering our understanding of the Earth.”
With this launch, Arianespace is responsible for only two more Vega C missions. It is in the process of handing over launch activities to Avio, the prime contractor for the Vega C. Avio has already taken over sales and marketing of the rocket and will become the launch operator after the VV29 mission, planned for late this year.
“The launcher continues to demonstrate its reliability and its critical role in supporting both security and scientific missions. Following this success, we remain on track to take over as the launch service operator after the VV29 mission,” Giulio Ranzo, chief executive of Avio, said in a statement after the launch.
During a panel discussion at the Paris Air Show June 17, Ranzo projected that Avio would perform at least five Vega launches in 2026. He said Avio was working with CNES, which operates the Kourou spaceport, to reconfigure an integration building previously used by the Ariane 5 for use by Vega. That would allow one Vega to be assembled in the building while another is on the pad for final launch preparations, rather than doing all the work on the pad as is the case today.
“We will also do further upgrades in performance of the launcher,” he said, including replacing the P120C solid motor with the larger P160C motor and using a larger payload fairing to provide more volume, particularly for missions carrying multiple spacecraft.