Success
LARES-2 (Maiden flight)
Earth Science
European Space Agency(ESA)Multinational
Vega-C
MEOorbit
Maiden flight of the Vega-C launch vehicle, carrying the LARES-2 passive satellite. It is a 40 cm diameter sphere with laser mirrors to study the Earth gravitational field and relativistic effects. Also onboard are six European research cubesats.
Wednesday, July 13, 2022 at 1:13 PM
Replay
Mission details
Orbital Attempt
#6,265
ESA Mission
#6
Pad Launch
#47
Location Launch
#314
Designator
2022-080
Launch Window
NET
Jul 13, 2022, 1:13 PM
Precision
Second
Schedule Changes
1 update
Vega-C Specs
Vega-C is a single-body rocket nearly 35 m high with that weighs 210 tonnes on the launch pad. As with Vega, its main elements are three solid-propellant stages, an upper stage powered by a reignitable liquid-propellant engine and a payload fairing. Vega-C's P120C first stage replaces Vega’s smaller P80 to provide a significant increase in thrust at liftoff. It is also used as boosters (2 or 4) for the Ariane 6 rocket.
Length
34.8 m
Diameter
3 m
Launch Mass
210 t
Thrust
2,974 kN
LEO Capacity
3,300 kg
SSO Capacity
2,230 kg
Launch Cost
$48M
Reusable
No
Maiden Flight
2022
Fastest Turnaround
2mo 27d
Total Launches
7
Successful
6
Failed
1
Consecutive Success
5
Maiden flight: Jul 13, 2022
Social Flight Log
- Jul 13, 2022, 3:30 PM
Launch announced a success on the webcast
- Jul 13, 2022, 1:13 PM
Liftoff
- Jul 13, 2022, 12:58 PM
New T-0
- Jul 13, 2022, 11:40 AM
New T-0
- Jul 4, 2022, 6:06 PM
Setting GO and adjusting NET
Source - Jul 4, 2022, 5:56 PM
NET July 13, pending suitable conditions for launch
Source - Jun 21, 2022, 4:55 PM
Setting GO
Source - Jun 7, 2022, 4:09 PM
Targeting July 7 at 11:13 UTC
Source - Jun 7, 2022, 2:30 PM
NET July 7
Source - Jun 1, 2022, 3:35 PM
Targeting the first week of July
Source - May 19, 2022, 5:03 PM
NET July 2022
Source - Jan 28, 2022, 8:06 PM
NET May
Source - Nov 17, 2021, 5:03 PM
NET April 2022
Source
Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV)
ELA-1, now named Ensemble de Lancement Vega (short ELV), is a launch pad at the Centre Spatial Guyanais in French Guiana. It has been used to support launches of the Europa rocket, Ariane 1, Ariane 3, and is currently used to launch Vega rockets.
Total Launches
55
Orbital Attempts
55
Fastest Turnaround
1mo 25d
European Space Agency
The European Space Agency is an intergovernmental organisation of 22 member states. Established in 1975 and headquartered in Paris, France, ESA has a worldwide staff of about 2,000 employees. ESA's space flight programme includes human spaceflight (mainly through participation in the International Space Station program); the launch and operation of unmanned exploration missions to other planets and the Moon; Earth observation, science and telecommunication; designing launch vehicles; and maintaining a major spaceport, the Guiana Space Centre at Kourou, French Guiana.
Founded
1975
Administrator
Director General: Josef Aschbacher
Total Launches
7
Successful
6
Failed
1
Pending
1
Consecutive Success
5
Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
The Guiana Space Centre is a European spaceport to the northwest of Kourou in French Guiana, a region of France in South America. Kourou is located at a latitude of 5°. In operation since 1968, it is a suitable location for a spaceport because of its equatorial location and open sea to the east.
Timezone
America/Cayenne
Local Launch Time
Jul 13, 2022, 10:13 AM
Total Launches
333
Total Landings
0
Coordinates
5.1690, -52.6903