9M 2021 HIGHLIGHTS [dated Nov 8]QuoteThe Maiden Flight of Vega C is expected by March 2022.
The Maiden Flight of Vega C is expected by March 2022.
Spaceflight Now @SpaceflightNowMinus-10 minutes. Weather conditions are favorable for launch this morning in French Guiana.Liftoff of the 20th Vega rocket is set for precisely 4:27:55am EST (0927:55 GMT) with the three CERES reconnaissance satellites for the French military.
From Stephen Clark's article on the VV20 launch:French military intelligence satellites launch on Vega rocket (bolds mine) [dated November 16]QuoteThe next Vega launch will be the debut flight of an upgraded version of the rocket called the Vega C <snip>The Vega C’s inaugural launch is scheduled no earlier than April from French Guiana. Teams at the spaceport will spend the next couple months completing modifications to the launch pad’s mobile gantry to accommodate the larger rocket.<snip>
The next Vega launch will be the debut flight of an upgraded version of the rocket called the Vega C <snip>The Vega C’s inaugural launch is scheduled no earlier than April from French Guiana. Teams at the spaceport will spend the next couple months completing modifications to the launch pad’s mobile gantry to accommodate the larger rocket.<snip>
According to this Avio employee, there are only two "classic" Vega's left to launch. I don't know if he was counting VV20 in or not... (so I think you can remove many "Vega/Vega C" in the manifest)Quote from: Google translateSo, there are only two classic Vegas left to launch, before there are only Vega C.https://twitter.com/ClosertoSpace/status/1460533316625608712
So, there are only two classic Vegas left to launch, before there are only Vega C.
Quote from: Galactic Penguin SST on 10/29/2021 11:02 amOne question that I have not seen a clear statement anywhere: is the "standard" Vega going to be phased out after Vega C starts flying? If so how many are left?After the Vega VV20 launch and the following Vega-C maiden flight, there should be 2 standard Vega left.https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/09/28/arianespace-procures-first-batch-of-upgraded-vega-c-rockets-preps-for-ariane-6-order/
One question that I have not seen a clear statement anywhere: is the "standard" Vega going to be phased out after Vega C starts flying? If so how many are left?
https://cnes-csg.reservationlancement.fr/en/Inscription/LancementsQuote...12/1/2021 - 9:31 PM (GMT-3) Launch VS26 GALILEO FOC M9 ...hmm,launch 12/02/2021, 00:31 UTC
...12/1/2021 - 9:31 PM (GMT-3) Launch VS26 GALILEO FOC M9 ...
Who is Ariane 6’s first commercial customer at the moment?The second launch will be for Galileo, which is not commercial. Arianespace, the company responsible for marketing and operating the launch service, has announced a contract with Viasat, which is today the first commercial customer on Ariane 64 [Ariane 6’s four-booster variant].
The second Ariane 6 launch will be for Galileo:
Quote from: Yiosie on 11/19/2021 11:45 pmThe second Ariane 6 launch will be for Galileo:Are there two or three Galileo launches on Soyuz before this flight?
2021December 2 - Galileo-FOC FM23 (Patrick), Galileo-FOC FM24 (Shriya) - Soyuz-ST-B/Fregat-MT (VS26) - Kourou ELS - 00:312022April - Galileo-FOC FM25 (Nikolina), Galileo-FOC FM26 (Julina) - Soyuz-ST-B/Fregat-MT (VS29) - Kourou ELSSeptember - Galileo-FOC FM27, Galileo-FOC FM28 - Soyuz-ST-B/Fregat-MT (VS30) - Kourou ELSNET late - Galileo-FOC FM29, Galileo-FOC FM30 - Ariane 62 (FM2) - Kourou ELA-4 (or early 2023)
EUSPA email presser:https://euspa.uxmail.io/x/rfAY3LqNK9Z9w4uMI9XgSaesksX5dZWyjwXrKEWGS1beSYCXUZq6odzQyDM3zX2ENLC28wusmfEmN9F6_rypFZNFKTylUISIJ3Zduw/Most notable is the more detailed 00:31:27 UTC launch time.
NASA Provides Update on Webb Telescope LaunchThe launch readiness date for the James Webb Space Telescope is moving to no earlier than Dec. 22 to allow for additional testing of the observatory, following a recent incident that occurred during Webb’s launch preparations.The incident occurred during operations at the satellite preparation facility in Kourou, French Guiana, performed under Arianespace overall responsibility. Technicians were preparing to attach Webb to the launch vehicle adapter, which is used to integrate the observatory with the upper stage of the Ariane 5 rocket. A sudden, unplanned release of a clamp band – which secures Webb to the launch vehicle adapter – caused a vibration throughout the observatory.A NASA-led anomaly review board was immediately convened to investigate and instituted additional testing to determine with certainty the incident did not damage any components. NASA and its mission partners will provide an update when the testing is completed at the end of this week.
Testing Confirms Webb Telescope on Track for Targeted Dec. 22 LaunchQuote from: NASA James Webb Space Telescope BlogEngineering teams have completed additional testing confirming NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is ready for flight, and launch preparations are resuming toward Webb’s target launch date of Wednesday, Dec. 22, at 7:20 a.m. EST.
Engineering teams have completed additional testing confirming NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is ready for flight, and launch preparations are resuming toward Webb’s target launch date of Wednesday, Dec. 22, at 7:20 a.m. EST.
The launch of the Soyuz-ST carrier rocket was postponed for a day12/01/2021 01:30The launch of the Soyuz-ST-B carrier rocket, scheduled for December 2, 2021 from the Guiana Space Center, has been postponed for a day due to unfavorable weather conditions. The decision to postpone the launch was made by the French security service on the safety parameters of CNES.The launch of the Soyuz-ST-B launch vehicle with the Fregat upper stage and Galileo spacecraft is currently scheduled for December 3 at 03:27 Moscow time.<snip>https://www.roscosmos.ru/33505/
A small European telecommunications satellite intended for launch into geostationary orbit some 36 000 kilometres above the Earth – which can be used as a basis for future satellites – has won support from ESA.The new satellite product line and its first protoflight model will be developed and built under a Partnership Project between ESA and SWISSto12, a small to medium-sized enterprise based in Renens, Switzerland. SWISSto12 – which will lead an international consortium – is already marketing this new satellite to commercial operators, which will be able to use it to stream data or broadcast television. The first satellite is due for launch in 2025.
Quote from: Roskosmos tweet, Google translateThe launch of the Soyuz-ST-B rocket with #Galileo spacecraft , scheduled for December 3 from the Guiana Space Center, was postponed for a day due to the unavailability of the French shipborne station for receiving telemetry information. Now the launch is scheduled for December 4 at 03:23 Moscow time.
The launch of the Soyuz-ST-B rocket with #Galileo spacecraft , scheduled for December 3 from the Guiana Space Center, was postponed for a day due to the unavailability of the French shipborne station for receiving telemetry information. Now the launch is scheduled for December 4 at 03:23 Moscow time.
Anatoly Zak @RussianSpaceWebExact scheduled liftoff time tomorrow for #Soyuz rocket with Galileo satellites is 7:19:20 p.m. EST, 21:19:20 local (03:19:20 Moscow Time on December 5): https://russianspaceweb.com/galileo13.html
VS26: Galileo successfully expands his fleet with Arianespace- On Saturday, December 4, Arianespace has successfully orbited two satellites from the Guiana Space Center (CSG), Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. This was the eleventh launch for the constellation by Arianespace, which has now orbited 28 satellites, including 4 IOV, for Galileo.– With this 13th success of the year, Arianespace hits a new milestone by launching the 179th and 180th satellites for European institutions.On Saturday, December 4, at 09:19 p.m. local time, a Soyuz launcher lifted off from the CSG in Kourou, French Guiana, and successfully orbited two satellites built by OHB System: Galileo FOC-M9 (23-24), SAT 27-28, as a part of Europe’s Galileo constellation.These two satellites are the 179th and 180th launched on behalf of European institutions. More precisely, it is the 61st mission launched by Arianespace for ESA and the 23rd and 24th FOC satellites launched by Arianespace for the European Commission.“Congratulations Europe! With this 11th launch for Galileo, the constellation is now counting 28 satellites in orbit. Arianespace is proud to guarantee a secure and autonomous access to space with the deployment of Galileo, marking another step towards European independence in satellite navigation,” said Stéphane Israël, CEO of Arianespace. “I would like to thank the European Union, especially the European Commission, as well as the European Space Agency, our direct customer for this launch, for continuing to trust us with their satellites.”Operational since 2016, Galileo is the global navigation satellite system that is fully financed and owned by the European Union. Under civilian control, it offers high-precision positioning, navigation and timing services to more than 2,3 billion users worldwide. Undertaken by a European partnership, the European Commission manages Galileo, with European Space Agency (ESA) as the design authority overseeing its development, procuring satellites and the ground segment, and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) overseeing Galileo operations and service provision.The medium-lift Soyuz (produced by Progress Space Rocket Center, part of the Russian space agency Roscosmos) entered service from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana in October 2011, bringing the industry’s longest-operating launcher to the world’s most modern launch base. Soyuz is a four-stage launcher, designed with extremely high reliability requirements for its use in manned missions. This flight will also mark 10 years of Soyuz operations in French Guiana and its 26th mission for the European Spaceport.VS26 figures: 337th launch overall for the Arianespace family of launchers (301st launch of the family at CSG), Galileo FOC-M9 are the 1063rd and 1064th satellites launched by Arianespace, Galileo FOC-M9 are the 490th and 491st satellites launched on Soyuz by Arianespace (66th and 67th at CSG).
