PHOTOS: Payload shroud hoisted atop Vega rocket
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: January 30, 2012
Workers transferred the Vega rocket's 8.5-foot-diameter payload fairing to the launch pad Jan. 24, adding the final component to the four-stage launcher leading up to the vehicle's first flight scheduled for Feb. 9.
The Vega's passengers include Italy's LARES laser reflectivity satellite, the ALMASat 1 technology demonstration payload for the University of Bologna, and seven small CubeSat payloads from institutions across Europe.
The Vega rocket is assembled inside a mobile service tower, which moves away from the booster before liftoff.
Photo credit: ESA/M. Pedoussaut
MORE VEGA ROCKET PHOTOS >
|
