Paris (AFP)
The firing of the European Vega rocket, initially planned for Thursday evening from Kourou in Guyana, then postponed to Saturday, has been postponed again, announced Arianespace.
"As the wind conditions aloft above the Guyana Space Center remained unfavorable, Arianespace decided not to start the final chronological operations for the launch of Flight Vega n ° 16 envisaged on Saturday June 20, 2020", according to a press release.
"The new target launch date will be announced as soon as possible depending on changing weather conditions," adds Arianespace.
This flight should mark the return of the Vega rocket since its failure in the summer of 2019, which had led to its destruction, as a precaution.
It represents a crucial challenge for space Europe, which will enter a booming market, where competition - in particular that of the American SpaceX - is raging: the "VV16" mission is its first shared launch (or "rideshare"), which is to place 53 satellites in low orbit on behalf of 21 customers from 13 different countries.
This "cluster" is made up of seven small satellites (weighing between 15 and 150 kilos), as well as 46 nano-satellites, ranging from 300 grams to 11 kilos. Their applications range from communication to Earth observation, via scientific research.
© 2020 AFP