LARES-2 (Maiden flight)
Vega-C
European Space Agency
Mission
LARES-2 (Maiden flight)
- Type: Earth Science
- Orbit: Medium Earth Orbit
- Launch Cost: $48,000,000
Maiden flight of the Vega-C launch vehicle, carrying the LARES-2 passive satellite. It is a 40 cm diameter sphere with laser mirrors to study the Earth gravitational field and relativistic effects. Also onboard are six European research cubesats.
Location
Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV)
Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV) has witnessed the launch of 49 rockets, including 49 orbital launch attempts, while Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana, has been the site for 320 rocket launches.
Rocket
Avio S.p.A Vega-C
Agency
European Space Agency
The European Space Agency is an intergovernmental organisation of 22 member states. Established in 1975 and headquartered in Paris, France, ESA has a worldwide staff of about 2,000 employees.
ESA’s space flight programme includes human spaceflight (mainly through participation in the International Space Station program); the launch and operation of unmanned exploration missions to other planets and the Moon; Earth observation, science and telecommunication; designing launch vehicles; and maintaining a major spaceport, the Guiana Space Centre at Kourou, French Guiana.
