VEGA TESTS – ESA

BY MARK ROWEScientists at the European Space Agency have successfully completed the inert casting of the main motor of the Vega satellite launcher. The trial, an important step in the development of Europe's small satellite launcher, was held at the Guiana Propellant Plant at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana.Vega is planned for launch in 2006, when it will complement the existing Ariane 5 and Soyuz satellite launchers. It will be used to place 300 to 2000 kg satellites into the polar and low-Earth orbits used for many scientific and Earth observation ...


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