The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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Liftoff of flight VV02 from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana occurred at 04:06 CEST (02:06 GMT) on 7 May (23:06 local time on 6 May) at the opening of the launch window.
The Vega launcher has flawlessly delivered Proba-V into its planned Sun-synchronous circular orbit at 820 km altitude and an inclination of 98.73º. This occurred 55 minutes and 27 seconds after launch. VNRedsat and ESTCube-1 is released some two hours later.
The Proba-V prime payload is the first of four ESA missions to use Vega as part of the Vega Research and Technology Accompaniment (VERTA) programme to demonstrate the system’s flexibility. Proba-V carries a reduced version of the Vegetation camera currently flying on the Spot satellites to provide a daily overview of global vegetation growth.