Fairing final internal inspection before encapsulation

Vega VV04 fairing during a final internal inspection before encapsulation, on 23 January 2015 at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

IXV will be launched 320 km into space on top of a Vega rocket, VV04, climbing up to 420 km before beginning a long glide back through the atmosphere. In the process, IXV will gather data on reentry conditions to help guide the design of future spaceplanes.

More about IXV: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Launchers/IXV

Connect with IXV on Twitter: twitter.com/esa_ixv