Arianespace - Vega-C / Flight VV22 Mission patch.
Dec 20, 2022
Approximately 2 minutes and 27 seconds after liftoff an anomaly occurred on the Zefiro 40 thus ending the Vega C mission.
Vega-C carrying Pléiades Neo 5 and 6 liftoff
For Arianespace’s VV22 mission, a Vega-C launch vehicle launched the Pléiades Neo 5 and 6 satellites into Sun-synchronous orbit, from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, on 21 December 2022, at 01:47 UTC (20 December, at 22:47 local time).
Vega-C launch anomaly
Due to a problem with the second stage, the mission did not reach the intended orbit. Pléiades Neo 5 and 6 (1977 kg) were the two final satellites of the Pléiades Neo Earth observation constellation.
Pléiades Neo (5 & 6) satellite
The two satellites are lost, since they could not reach their nominal speeds and orbits. They will fall back to Earth in the ocean.
Data analyses are in progress to determine the reasons of this failure.
Arianespace: https://www.arianespace.com/
Images, Video, Text, Credits: Arianespace/SciNews/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.
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