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ESA’s Vega Rocket Launches Three Satellites to Space

Tuesday, May 7, 2013 6:41

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(Before It's News)

ESA’s Vega launcher on the launchpad at Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Credit: ESA.

The second flight of ESA’s newest launch vehicle has successfully sent three different satellites to space. Launching at 02:06 GMT on 7 May from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, the Vega rocket carried two Earth observation satellites — ESA’s Proba-V, Vietnam’s VNREDSat-1A — and Estonia’s first satellite, the ESTCube-1 technology demonstrator were released into different orbits. The complex mission required five upper-stage boosts, with the flight lasting about twice as long as its first launch, in February 2012.

ESA officials said the success demonstrates the Vega rocket’s versatility.

Watch the launch video below.
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Read the rest of ESA’s Vega Rocket Launches Three Satellites to Space (218 words)