The European Space Agency's (ESA) Vega rocket launched for the final time on Wednesday from French Guiana, carrying the Sentinel-2C satellite, which will play a crucial role in monitoring natural disasters and detecting methane emissions. The launch, which was delayed by a day due to electrical issues, took place at 10:50 pm local time (0150 GMT Thursday) from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou.
Artist’s view of Sentinel-2C during fairing separation. Image Credit: ESA
The Sentinel-2C satellite is part of the European Union's Copernicus program and will support the management of natural disasters such as forest fires, earthquakes, and floods. It will also monitor water quality and detect methane emissions.
The Vega rocket, built by Italian aerospace company Avio, has been in service since 2012 and has completed 20 flights. It will be replaced by the more powerful Vega-C, which has been grounded since 2022 following an accident that caused the loss of two Airbus satellites.
The ESA described the launch as a "fitting" farewell for the Vega rocket, which has primarily been used to deploy small Earth observation satellites in polar orbit. The rocket has a height of 30 meters, weighs 137 tonnes, and uses three solid-propellant stages with a fourth liquid-propellant stage.
Images Credit: European Space Agency
One of the Vega rocket's most notable missions was in 2020, when it deployed 53 satellites into orbit on a single flight as part of the Small Spacecraft Mission Service proof of concept flight. In 2015, the rocket conducted a reentry demonstrator that showed Europe has the technology to launch a
vehicle to space and return it safely to Earth.
The decommissioning of the Vega rocket is a bittersweet moment for Europe's space sector. While the launcher enabled independent access to space for some key European missions, it never achieved commercial success. The Vega-C and Ariane 6 rockets, which are set to replace Vega, may struggle to find their niche in a competitive market dominated by SpaceX's reusable Falcon 9 rocket.
The ESA is now looking to the future with the development of new launchers, including the Vega-C and Ariane 6, which are expected to provide more capabilities and competitiveness in the global launch market. However, the agency faces challenges in competing with SpaceX, which has revolutionized the launch industry with its reusable rockets.
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