ESA launches last Vega rocket on Copernicus satellite mission

Sept. 4 (UPI) -- The European Space Agency launched the final Vega rocket into space late Wednesday with a mission to carry the Copernicus Sentinel-2C satellite into low-Earth orbit.

The launch occurred at 10:50 p.m. GFT from the ESA's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, after a planned launch Tuesday was postponed due to electrical issues that have been fixed.

LIFTOFF of #Sentinel2 C on the last Vega rocket from @EuropeSpacePort in Kourou, French Guiana on 5 September 2024! pic.twitter.com/QzAZPkqBTr — European Space Agency (@esa) September 5, 2024

The Sentinel-2C satellite separated from the final stage of the rocket at 57 minutes, 27 seconds after launch to applause in the mission control center.

"We have perfectly complete the mission tonight," Stephane Israel, chief executive offer at Arianespace, which operated the Vega rocket, said during the live broadcast. "Satellite Sentinel-2C has been separated on the targeted orbit. It is a full success tonight."

The satellite, which is replacing Sentinel-2A, will provide high-resolution imagery while monitoring land, water and atmospheric conditions.

It will work with two other identical satellites that fly 488 miles above the Earth in the same low-Earth orbit but at opposite ends to cover the entirety of the planet's land and coastal waters every five days.

Each satellite contains a high-resolution multi-spectral imager that provides shortwave-infrared, near-infrared and visible images of the electromagnetic spectrum.

The imager covers 188 miles of water and terrain with each image taken and provides continual imagery across 13 spectral bands.

Another satellite to be launched, the Sentinel-2D, eventually will replace the Sentinel-2B satellite to ensure continuity for the Copernicus Services mission and others.

The Vega rocket used to put the Sentinel-2C into orbit launched for the final time. It was first launched in February 2012.

The small Avio-designed rocket was the first managed entirely by the ESA.

The rocket has four stages, the first three of which use motors with solid propellant while the final stage uses liquid propulsion.

With its final mission, the rocket launched 22 times in the past 12 years and deployed more than 100 missions into space.

An improved Vega-C rocket will replace the original Vega rocket after it concludes its final launch.