European Commission – Spaceflight Now

Avio launches pair of climate monitoring European spacecraft to study plants, oceans and atmospheric changes

September 15, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith

The mission, with the shorthand VV30, is the second launch of a Vega-C rocket managed solely by Avio without Arianespace. Liftoff from Ensemble de Lancement Vega at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana happened at 10:21 p.m. local time (9:21 p.m. EDT / 0121 UTC / 3:21 a.m. CEST).

Launch preview: Avio to launch spacecraft to monitor plant health and ocean conditions

September 14, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith

The mission, with the shorthand VV30, is the second launch of a Vega-C rocket managed solely by Avio without Arianespace. Liftoff from Ensemble de Lancement Vega at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana is scheduled for 10:21 p.m. local time (9:21 p.m. EDT / 0121 UTC / 3:21 a.m. CEST).

EUMETSAT, ESA launches combo MTG-S1, Sentinel-4 satellite on SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center

July 1, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The dual mission satellite will help better monitor both weather patterns as well as air quality over Europe and North Africa. SpaceX launched its Falcon 9 rocket on Tuesday, July 1, at 5:04 p.m. EDT (2104 UTC).

Vega-C return to flight launch slips a day to allow for ‘further precautionary checks’

November 28, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

The launch of the European Commission’s Sentinel-1C satellite is now targeting no earlier than Wednesday, Dec. 4, from the European Spaceport in French Guiana. The next update on launch preparations are set to be published on Friday, Nov. 29.

SpaceX launches European Commission’s Galileo satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center

April 27, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

The mission marked the first time that an American-made rocket launched Europe’s answer to the GPS satellite constellation. Liftoff from Launch Complex 39A happened at 8:34 p.m. EDT (0034 UTC) on Saturday, April 27.

Remote sensing companies share satellite views of ship stuck in Suez Canal

March 29, 2021 Stephen Clark

Satellite remote sensing companies showcased their capabilities in recent days with regularly-updated overhead views of a nearly quarter-mile-long container ship blocking the Suez Canal in Egypt before salvage crews freed the vessel Monday.

Photos: Falcon 9 launches and lands at Vandenberg Air Force Base

November 29, 2020 Stephen Clark

These photos show the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Nov. 21 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California with the U.S.-European Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich oceanography satellite.

International satellite launches to extend measurements of sea level rise

November 21, 2020 Stephen Clark

A European-built satellite with the unusual shape of a house launched into orbit Saturday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from California’s Central Coast, carrying a sophisticated radar altimeter to measure rising sea levels on our home planet.

Photos: Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich encapsulated for launch

November 21, 2020 Stephen Clark

Check out photos of the encapsulation of the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich oceanography satellite inside the payload shroud of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket before its launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

Live coverage: SpaceX launches oceanography satellite from California

November 21, 2020 Stephen Clark

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 12:17 p.m. EST (9:17 a.m. PST; 1717 GMT) Saturday with an oceanography satellite jointly developed by U.S. and European space and weather agencies. The rocket’s first stage booster returned to a bullseye landing back at Vandenberg.