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Vega launcher makes first flight | Vega launcher makes first flight |
(about 7 hours later) | |
By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent, BBC News | By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent, BBC News |
Europe's new Vega rocket has completed a flawless first flight. | Europe's new Vega rocket has completed a flawless first flight. |
Controllers at the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana ignited the rocket at 07:00 local time (10:00 GMT), and it completed its mission 70 minutes later. | Controllers at the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana ignited the rocket at 07:00 local time (10:00 GMT), and it completed its mission 70 minutes later. |
The 30m-tall vehicle has been designed to put small scientific and government satellites in orbit. | The 30m-tall vehicle has been designed to put small scientific and government satellites in orbit. |
For its first outing, Vega carried nine payloads into space, including a physics experiment to test Einstein's theory of general relativity. | |
"A new member of the launcher family has been born," said Jean-Jacques Dordain, the European Space Agency's (Esa) director general. | "A new member of the launcher family has been born," said Jean-Jacques Dordain, the European Space Agency's (Esa) director general. |
Member states of Esa, together with their industries, are investing more than a billion euros in the introduction of Vega. | Member states of Esa, together with their industries, are investing more than a billion euros in the introduction of Vega. |
The vehicle is intended to guarantee access to space for an increasingly important class of satellite weighing less than 2.5 tonnes. | The vehicle is intended to guarantee access to space for an increasingly important class of satellite weighing less than 2.5 tonnes. |
At the moment, these smaller spacecraft, which include many Earth observation satellites, tend to ride decommissioned Russian nuclear missiles to get into orbit. | |
European operators can sometimes wait many months to get a launch slot on these converted ICBMs, however. | |
Vega should allow them to have more control over the schedules of their space projects. It also means that the value of what it is an immensely high-tech enterprise will return to the European economy, not to foreign industry. | Vega should allow them to have more control over the schedules of their space projects. It also means that the value of what it is an immensely high-tech enterprise will return to the European economy, not to foreign industry. |
Vega is a four-stage rocket. Its first three segments burn a solid fuel. Its fourth and final stage uses liquid propellants and can be stopped and restarted several times to get a spacecraft into just the right orbit. | Vega is a four-stage rocket. Its first three segments burn a solid fuel. Its fourth and final stage uses liquid propellants and can be stopped and restarted several times to get a spacecraft into just the right orbit. |
The stage can also bring itself out of the sky - something deemed very important these days given the rising concern over space debris. | The stage can also bring itself out of the sky - something deemed very important these days given the rising concern over space debris. |
Monday's mission was intended to qualify the overall Vega system, including the rocket vehicle itself and all its ground infrastructure and operations systems. | Monday's mission was intended to qualify the overall Vega system, including the rocket vehicle itself and all its ground infrastructure and operations systems. |
The largest satellite carried by Vega was the Lares (Laser Relativity Satellite) spacecraft. Developed by the Italian space agency (Asi), this 400kg payload looks akin to a hi-tech "disco ball". | |
The 37cm-diameter tungsten sphere features 92 reflectors on its surface that will be used to make very precise laser ranging measurements from Earth. | The 37cm-diameter tungsten sphere features 92 reflectors on its surface that will be used to make very precise laser ranging measurements from Earth. |
Lares' purpose is to study one consequence of general relativity known as "frame-dragging". This phenomenon, also referred to as the Lense-Thirring effect, describes how the Earth twists local space-time around with it as it rotates. | |
Lares was successfully released into a 1,450km-altitude circular orbit some 55 minutes into the flight. | Lares was successfully released into a 1,450km-altitude circular orbit some 55 minutes into the flight. |
The other eight satellites were ejected 15 minutes later. They are all very much smaller than Lares - most of them weighing just a kilo or so. | The other eight satellites were ejected 15 minutes later. They are all very much smaller than Lares - most of them weighing just a kilo or so. |
These university-produced payloads include the first ever spacecraft from Poland, Romania and Hungary. | These university-produced payloads include the first ever spacecraft from Poland, Romania and Hungary. |
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Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter | Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter |