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Arianespace traces cause of Vega launch failure to ‘human error’

November 17, 2020 Stephen Clark

Inverted cables on the Vega rocket’s upper stage control system apparently caused the launcher to tumble minutes after liftoff Monday night, a failure that resulted in the loss of a Spanish Earth observation satellite and a French research probe, Arianespace officials said Tuesday.

European Vega rocket suffers second failure in three launches

November 17, 2020 Stephen Clark

A European Vega rocket crashed back to Earth shortly after launching from French Guiana carrying a Spanish land imaging satellite and a French research probe with a combined value of nearly $400 million.

Live coverage: Arianespace probing “anomaly” shortly after Vega launch

November 16, 2020 Stephen Clark

A Vega rocket fired into space at 8:52 p.m. EST Monday (0152 GMT Tuesday) from the Guiana Space Center in South America, but the mission deviated from its planned trajectory. The rocket was boosting a Spanish Earth observation satellite and a French research payload into orbit.

Vega rocket poised for launch with satellites for Spain and France

November 16, 2020 Stephen Clark

A Spanish Earth observation spacecraft and a French research satellite to probe luminous phenomena above thunderstorms are packaged inside the nose cone of an Italian-built Vega rocket for launch Monday night from French Guiana.

Mercury-bound spacecraft gets an assist from Venus

October 15, 2020 Stephen Clark

The European-Japanese BepiColombo spacecraft flew by Venus late Wednesday, using the planet’s gravity to help redirect the probe toward its ultimate destination of Mercury.

Ariane 5 succeeds in launch of two high-value communications satellites

June 2, 2017 Stephen Clark

A pair of ViaSat and Eutelsat communications satellites — one to broadcast unparalleled high-speed Internet from space, and another to connect the Asia-Pacific — streaked into space Thursday from French Guiana atop an Ariane 5 rocket, setting records for the heaviest and most valuable commercial payload ever put into orbit.