Vega VV04 IXV liftoff up close

Vega flight VV04 carrying ESA's experimental spaceplane, IXV, lifted off from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on 11 February 2015.

IXV was released at 320 km and then coasted to 420 km before beginning a long glide back through the atmosphere. In the process, IXV gathered data on reentry conditions to help guide the design of future spaceplanes.

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