Vega • THEOS-2 & FORMOSAT-7R/TRITON

Arianespace will launch a Vega rocket, designated VV23, sending a collection of 12 satellites into a sun-synchronous orbit. The main payload is the THailand Earth Observation System-2 (THEOS-2), which is an Earth-observing satellite built by Airbus Defense and Space on behalf of the Kingdom of Thailand. It’s designed to complement THEOS-1, which launched in 20008. The secondary payload is FORMOSAT-7R/TRITON, which was developed by the Taiwanese Space Agency (TASA). Its Global Navigation Satellite System-Reflectometry (GNSS-R) tool will help meteorologists gather wind data over oceans to help with forecasting the trajectory and intensity of typhoons. Delayed from Oct. 6/7.