Successful space launch performed by the ESA rocket Vega

Dear readers and followers,

yesterday night, April 30th, the space launcher of the +European Space Agency, ESA called Vega, succeeded its Arianespace’s fourth mission so far in 2014, putting the company on track to perform a total of 12 launches from Europe’s Spaceport during the year. The lift-off occurred at the space center in Kourou, French Guiana, at 10:35 pm local time.

Credit: ArianeSpace

This launch leads to orbit an 800 kg Earth observation spacecraft, called KazEOSat-1 which will provide many images to the Republic of Kazakhstan with a complete range of civil applications; for instance, the monitoring of natural and agricultural resources, provision of mapping data, and support for rescue operations in the event of a natural disaster.

Stay tuned

Successful launch and orbiting of 2 satellites by Ariane 5

Dear followers,

yesterday, the European space rocket, Ariane 5, performed its first 2014 launch from Kourou, French Guiana. Ariane 5 orbited 2 telecommunications satellites, Athena-Fidus and ABS-2 at  21:30 UTC (February 6th).

Credit: +CNES 

Athena-Fidus (Access on THeatres for European Nations Allied forces - French Italian Dual Use Satellite) is a telecommunications satellite developped by the large collaboration between France and Italia. Developed for CNES, the Italian space agency ASI, the French Defense agency (DGA) and the Italian Ministry of Defence, it will deliver telecommunications services to French and Italian military and civil protection forces, complementing capacity already provided by the Syracuse and SICRAL satellites.

In an other hand, ABS-2 is a telecommunications satellite that will enable the operator Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS) to deliver telecommunications, television, multimedia and data transmission services to Asia, Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

Enjoy the European Ariane 5 rocket blasted off from Kourou in French Guiana

Credit: +Arianespace 

Successful take-off of Ariane 5 carrying alphasat from Kourou

Credits: +European Space Agency, ESA 

Soyuz launch from Kourou space Center Today

Dear followers,

An +Arianespace Soyuz rocket, designated VS05, will launch on a mission from the Guiana Space Center in South America this night. The Soyuz will carry four satellites for O3b Networks, which will provide broadband service to developing countries. Usually Soyuz rockets lifts off from Baikonur in Russia, However, Since October 2011  Soyuz could be launched from Kourou in Guiana. Actually, the first Soyuz launch from ELS was postponed several times, but launched on October 21, 2011.

Credits: AFP 2013 - Jody Amiet

The O3b Networks satellites are designed and built by Thales Alenia Space to become a part of the first medium Earth orbit satellite constellation providing broadband internet access in remote areas of the world.

Four O3b satellites are to be taken to orbit this year and four in 2014. To reduce cost and latency, the satellites will be orbiting at an average altitude of about 8,000 km, or about four times closer than regular geostationary satellites.

The Soyuz 2-1b rocket will use a Fregat upper stage. +Arianespace will oversee the launch.

The launch is scheduled for 6:53 p.m. GMT.

[Edit] : You could follow the live steam below: start of the live @ 8:33 pm lift-off @ 8:53