ARIANESPACE - Vega / Flight VV08 Mission poster.
5 December 2016
Vega lifts off
Arianespace today launched a Vega rocket on a commercial mission to deliver a Turkish Earth observation satellite into orbit.
Liftoff of Vega’s eighth flawless mission from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana came at 13:51 GMT on 5 December (14:51 CET; 10:51 local time).
Arianespace Flight VV08: GÖKTÜRK-1
With a mass at liftoff of 1060 kg, Göktürk-1 was manoeuvred into its target Sun-synchronous orbit about 57 minutes into the mission after a series of burns of Vega’s upper stage.
Complying with debris regulations to help keep space clean, Vega’s upper stage fired a final time to burn up high in the atmosphere over the ocean.
Göktürk-1 satellite
Vega is a 30 m-high, four-stage vehicle designed to accommodate small scientific and Earth observation payloads of 300–2500 kg depending on the orbit.
Related links:
Vega rocket: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Launchers/Launch_vehicles/Vega
Arianespace: http://www.arianespace.com/
Images, Video, Text, Credits: European Space Agency (ESA)/Arianespace/Telespazio/Thales Alenia.
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