Pléiades Neo 5 & 6
Vega-C
Arianespace
Rocket Launch Video
Mission
Pléiades Neo 5 & 6
- Type: Government/Top Secret
- Orbit: Sun-Synchronous Orbit
- Launch Cost: $48,000,000
Pléiades Neo 5 and 6 are the last two in a constellation of four optical high-resolution Earth observation satellites built and operated by Airbus. It is a dual purpose constellation, serving both civilian and military purposes.
2nd stage Zefiro 40 motor lost chamber pressure from T+151 seconds due to unexpected erosion of carbon-carbon (C-C) material in the motor nozzle's throat insert, caused by the material's flaw in homogeneity.
Location
Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV)
Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV) has witnessed the launch of 52 rockets, including 52 orbital launch attempts. While Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana, has been the site for 325 rocket launches.
The Guiana Space Centre is a European spaceport to the northwest of Kourou in French Guiana, a region of France in South America. Kourou is located at a latitude of 5°. In operation since 1968, it is a suitable location for a spaceport because of its equatorial location and open sea to the east.
Rocket
Avio S.p.A Vega-C
Vega-C is a single-body rocket nearly 35 m high with that weighs 210 tonnes on the launch pad. As with Vega, its main elements are three solid-propellant stages, an upper stage powered by a reignitable liquid-propellant engine and a payload fairing. Vega-C's P120C first stage replaces Vega’s smaller P80 to provide a significant increase in thrust at liftoff. It is also used as boosters (2 or 4) for the Ariane 6 rocket.