Brussels, 13/02/2012 (Agence Europe) - Europe has been gaining in spatial independence since this Monday 13 February, with the first successful launch of the Vega from the space centre of Kourou in French Guiana. “In a little more than three months, Europe has increased the number of launchers it operates from 1 to 3, widening significantly the range of launch services offered by the European operator Arianespace. There is not any more one single European satellite which cannot be launched by a European launcher service”, said the director-general of ESA, Jean-Jacques Dordain.
This new launcher of the European Space Agency (ESA) is a useful complement to the services offered by the launchers Ariane 5 and Soyouz, because Vega can launch smaller satellites, such as those needed for scientific and Earth-observation missions, or for sending ESA refuelling vehicles to the International Space Station (ISS). It can also be operational on a “mature” market, according to ESA and Arianespace, because it will eventually be able to offer competitive rates.
The Vega project started in 2003 and involved seven countries (Belgium, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland), with Italy and France the largest gross contributors, providing respectively 60% and 25% of the financial support. (MD/transl.fl)