Paris (AFP)
European launcher Vega will launch a FalconEye1 Earth Observation satellite on Friday night from Kourou (French Guiana) on behalf of the United Arab Emirates armed forces, Arianespace said.
This will be the fifteenth launch of Vega, Arianespace's light-weight launcher, since the beginning of its operation at the Guiana Space Center (CSG) in 2012.
The launch of the launcher is scheduled for 22:53 Kourou time (3:53 Paris time).
The duration of the mission, from take-off to separation from the satellite, is 57 minutes and 11 seconds.
The FalconEye system will be based on two identical satellites, FalconEye1 and FalconEye2, which will be placed in a sun-synchronous orbit.
Each satellite is equipped with an Earth observation payload with very high resolution optical capabilities. It is complemented by a ground system dedicated to monitoring, receiving and processing images.
First to be launched, FalconEye1 will have a dual mission: "to meet the needs of the armed forces of the United Arab Emirates and provide images to the commercial market," according to Arianespace.
It will weigh approximately 1,197 kg at takeoff and will be placed in an orbit 611 kilometers from the Earth.
This satellite was developed by a consortium led by Airbus Defense and Space as an agent and Thales Alenia Space as co-prime contractor. The latter provides in particular the optical instrument with very high resolution.
It will be the sixth launch of the year for Arianespace.
? 2019 AFP