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Editor’s Note: Arianespace’s Vega VV19 launch webcast will appear here at launch time, which is set for Monday, August 16 at 9:47 p.m. EDT (0147 August 17 GMT).
Arianespace will launch a new Earth observation satellite for Airbus on Monday evening (August 16), along with four other tiny satellites, and you can watch take-off live online.
An Arianespace Vega rocket, designated VV19, will launch the Pléiades Neo 4 satellites and a quartet of cubesats from the Guyanese Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana in South America at 9:47 p.m. EDT (0147 Aug 17 GMT). You can watch the launch live on this page on Space.com, courtesy of Arianespace, or directly through the company’s website. Youtube. The webcast is expected to begin approximately 20 minutes before take-off.
The rocket will carry Pléiades Neo 4, the second of four very high-resolution satellites launched as part of Airbus Pleiades Neo Constellation of Earth Observation Satellites – and four CubeSats, called BRO-4, SUNSTORM, LEDSAT and RADCUBE. All satellites, comprising a total payload of approximately 2268 lbs. (1,029 kilograms), will be placed in a sun-synchronous orbit, according to a press release from Arianespace.
Related: The European Vega rocket in photos
The mission will mark the seventh launch of Arianespace in 2021 and the second launch of Vega in 2021, making the 19th mission in total, after the launch of Pléiades Neo 3 in April.
The main payload, Pléiades Neo 4, is the second of four satellites for a new constellation of satellites built and operated by German aerospace company Airbus Defense and Space. Pleiades Neo 5 and Pleiades Neo 6 are expected to launch in 2022 to complete the constellation.
The Pleiades Neo satellites will offer higher resolution, greater geolocation accuracy and twice-daily visits for “high-level Earth observation services now and for the next ten years,” officials said. ‘Arianespace in the press release. “In addition, their reactive task capacity allows for urgent acquisitions 30 to 40 minutes after the request, which is five times higher than before. satellite constellations – and respond to the most critical situations in near real time, [which is] very useful in case of natural disaster[s]. “
The Vega rocket will also deploy four scientific spacecraft, three of which belong to the European Space Agency (ESA) and one for Invisible laboratories, a European satellite start-up. ESA’s three payloads include LEDSAT (or Small LED Satellite), RADCUBE, and SUNSTORM. LEDSAT will test the use of light emitting diodes (LEDs) to identify and track orbiting satellites, while RADCUBE will be used to demonstrate the use of small satellites for space weather monitoring, and SUNSTORM will use a solar x-ray system. innovative. spectrometer for detecting and characterizing solar flares or coronal mass ejections.
The final payload, BRO-4 (Breizh Reconnaissance Orbiter), is the fourth satellite of a maritime-surveillance constellation operated by Unseenlabs. This constellation of nanosatellites is designed to identify electromagnetic signals from space, allowing Unseenlabs to geotag and characterize ships at sea. The company plans to launch between 20 and 25 nanosatellites for its constellation by 2025, according to the press release.
Correction: This story was updated at 9:00 p.m. EDT to reflect the correct launch day for Arianespace’s Vega Mission. It’s Monday night, August 16, not Sunday.
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