MN35-13 (Morocco EO Sat 1) - Vega (VV11) - Kourou ZLV - 08.11.2017 01:42:30 UTC

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Заключительное слово
 

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Трансляция Arianespace завершена.
 
 

Миссия продолжится до затопления AVUM...

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Vega launches Mohammed VI-A satellite

SciNews

Опубликовано: 7 нояб. 2017 г.

An Arianespace Vega launch vehicle launched Mohammed VI-A satellite, from the Vega Launch Complex (SLV) in Kourou, French Guiana, on 8 November 2017, at UTC (7 November, local time). Mohammed VI-A (1110 kg) is an Earth observation satellite used by the Kingdom of Morocco for mapping and land surveying activities, regional development, agricultural monitoring, the prevention and management of natural disasters, monitoring changes in the environment and desertification, as well as border and coastal surveillance.

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[tnt22]

Launch of Vega Rocket with Mohammed VI Satellite for Morocco

Space Videos

Опубликовано: 7 нояб. 2017 г.

Arianespace have launched their 11th Vega rocket on the VV 11 mission carrying the Mohammed VI Earth observation satellite for the Kingdom of Morocco. Liftoff took place at UTC, November 8th 2017.

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Rocket Assembly Highlights for Vega VV11 Mission

Space Videos

Опубликовано: 7 нояб. 2017 г.

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http://www.arianespace.com/mission-update/vega-vv11-success/

Vega | November 7, 2017

Arianespace's Vega launcher performs its eighth mission at the service of Earth observation



On its 11th consecutive success since entering service in 2012, Arianespace's light-lift Vega launcher orbited the MOHAMMED VI – A satellite for the Kingdom of Morocco on a nighttime mission from the Spaceport in French Guiana.

Designated Flight VV11 in Arianespace's launcher family numbering system, this was the eighth Earth observation mission for Vega. Overall, the MOHAMMED VI – A satellite was the 64th Earth observation platform orbited by Arianespace with its launch vehicles for government and commercial customers.

Спойлер

Thales Alenia Space is the system prime contractor for the MOHAMMED VI – A satellite, supplying the payload – including the optical instrument, the image transmission subsystem, and the ground segment for image processing and production. Airbus, as satellite prime contractor, was in charge of its integration, as well as supplying the platform and the ground segment for mission planning and satellite control.

The multi-purpose MOHAMMED VI – A satellite

Tonight's 55-minute Vega mission placed the 1,110-kg. spacecraft into a Sun-synchronous orbit. The MOHAMMED VI – A satellite will serve multiple purposes, including mapping and land surveying, regional development, agricultural monitoring, monitoring changes in the environment, along with border and coastal surveillance.

Including the payload deployed by Flight VV11, Vega's eleven missions to date have lofted a combined total of 11.3 metric tons.

Flight VV11 was Arianespace's 10th launch of 2017, performed by its family of the heavyweight Ariane 5, medium-lift Soyuz and light-lift Vega. The year's final launch is planned for December 12, using an Ariane 5 to orbit four European Galileo navigation and positioning satellites.

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[tnt22]

http://www.arianespace.com/press-release/vv11-success/

Vega | November 7, 2017

Flight VV11: Arianespace orbits the "Mohammed VI – A" satellite developed by Thales Alenia Space and Airbus for the Kingdom Of Morocco; marking the 11th Vega success in a row

Arianespace has successfully launched the MOHAMMED VI – A satellite dedicated for Earth observation for the Kingdom of Morocco. The satellite was developed by the consortium comprising Thales Alenia Space as system prime contractor and Airbus as co-prime.

The launch took place on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 at 10:42:31 p.m. (local time) from the Guiana Space Center (CSG), Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana (South America).

Спойлер

With this 11th success for Vega since 2012, Arianespace continues to demonstrate the exceptional reliability of its light launcher and its perfect adaptation to the needs of institutional and commercial customers.

Eighth Earth observation mission for Vega

The light, versatile Vega launcher carried out its eighth launch of an Earth observation satellite.

The MOHAMMED VI – A satellite will be used in particular for mapping and land surveying activities, regional development, agricultural monitoring, the prevention and management of natural disasters, monitoring changes in the environment and desertification.

Thales Alenia Space, as system prime contractor, supplied the payload, including the optical instrument, the image transmission subsystem, and the ground segment for image processing and production. Airbus, as satellite prime contractor, was in charge of its integration, as well as supplying the platform and the ground segment for mission planning and satellite control.

Including this latest mission, Arianespace has now orbited 64 Earth observation satellites for both government and commercial customers, in particular the European Copernicus program and the Eumetsat operator of meteorological satellites.

Arianespace continues to confirm its position as a key player in the dynamic Earth observation market, which represents 10% of the satellites already launched by the company, and 30% of the order book (in number of contracts).

Vega at a glance
 – 2012: first launch from CSG.
 – 11 launches, all successful, including eight for Earth observation satellites.
 – 26 satellites launched (13 for Earth observation, 11 for technology applications, and two for scientific missions).
 – 11.3 metric tons orbited.
 – Six launches in the order book (all for Earth observation)

Eleventh consecutive success for Vega, which is three-for-three in 2017

As the 11th consecutive success for Vega, Flight VV11 also is the 10th Arianespace launch since the beginning of 2017 and the third launch of Vega during the same period.

It also marks the second Vega mission by Arianespace using a new operational organization in conjunction with its partner Avio, industrial prime contractor for Vega. Avio now assumes responsibility for preparing the launcher until its liftoff (H0), while Arianespace maintains full responsibility for customer relations, as well as final countdown operations and the launch decision.

Vega C is the upgraded version of this launcher, slated for a first flight in 2019. Between June and September 2017, the first three launch contracts were booked for this launch vehicle with both commercial and institutional customers. Compared with the current version, Vega C will offer higher performance in terms of payload capacity (weight and volume), along with the operational flexibility to handle an even larger variety of missions (from nanosatellites to large optical and radar observation satellites), which will further boost the competitiveness of Arianespace's launch services.
Arianespace now has a backlog of nine missions for Vega and Vega C; one-third are for European institutions and two-thirds are for export customers, clearly confirming the validity of its launch services offering for satellites in the under 1.5-metric-ton class.

Shortly after the announcement of the orbital injection of the MOHAMMED VI – A satellite, Arianespace Chief Executive Officer Stéphane Israël said: "On the occasion of this 11th consecutive success of the Vega launcher since its introduction at the Guiana Space Center, Arianespace is very proud to serve the Kingdom of Morocco for the first time. We are honored by Morocco's confidence in the launching of the iconic satellite MOHAMMED VI-A dedicated for Earth observation. Congratulations to Thales Alenia Space, system prime contractor and to Airbus, co-prime of the satellite. Both are long-standing partners.

Today, Vega marked its third successful launch in 2017, demonstrating both its reliability and availability. I would like to congratulate all our partners for this success: the teams of our prime contractor, Avio; the European Space Agency, for its active support for the Vega program, of which the Italian Space Agency is the main contributor; CNES/CSG; our industrial ground segment companies; and all employees of the launch base – always with us for new successes. Finally, congratulations to the Arianespace teams for the 10th successful launch this year."

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The MOHAMMED VI – A satellite separated from the launcher 55 minutes and 33 seconds after liftoff, and was placed in a Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO). It weighed 1,110 kg. at launch.

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Arianespace Flight VV11 / MOHAMMED VI - A satellite

arianespace

Опубликовано: 7 нояб. 2017 г.

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http://www.avio.com/en/press-release/vega-eleventh-consecutive-successful-mission/

08 Nov 2017

Vega: eleventh consecutive successful mission

The first launch of a Moroccan satellite

Colleferro, 8 November 2017 – The eleventh consecutive mission has been successfully completed by Vega, the European launcher that was conceived, designed and built by Avio. It is an accomplishment that has further consolidated its leading international status in terms of precision and reliability.

On its third and final mission in 2017, Vega delivered into orbit the MOHAMMED VI-A Earth observation satellite, which was built for Morocco by Thales Alenia Space and Airbus.

Спойлер

The mission lifted off from the space centre in Kourou, French Guiana, at 10:42 pm on 7 November (02:42 am on 8 November CET).

"Vega has kept up its track record of consecutive successes," stated Giulio Ranzo, CEO of Avio. "We are proud to have helped to open up access to Space for a new country: the Kingdom of Morocco. This achievement underlines the effectiveness of our partnership with Arianespace and our European industrial partners."

"Furthermore, thanks to the high levels of confidence in us among our customers, Arianespace has recently signed a new contract for six Vega launches and four Vega C launches, giving a total of ten flights between 2019 and 2021," added Ranzo. "In the meantime, in our facilities in Colleferro we're continuing to develop launchers that are capable of offering ever greater performance. We have completed the second P120 casing and we're now ready for the bench-test firing of the first Z40 engine, for the second stage of Vega C."

Vega

Vega is a European launcher that was designed, developed and built in Italy by Avio, through its subsidiary ELV (30% owned by ASI, the Italian Space Agency). It belongs to a new generation of vehicles designed to transfer satellites into low Earth orbit (between 300 and 1,500 km from Earth) for institutional and scientific purposes, in order to observe the Earth and monitor the environment. 65% of the funding for Vega came from Italy and it was built in the Avio production plant in Colleferro, near Rome. It complements the family of European launchers and it is capable of placing into orbit satellites with masses of up to 2,000 kg.

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> Download the press release

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Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight 49 мин. назад

S/C Sep! Arianespace's Vega rocket has successfully (pending health checks) launched Mohammed VI-A.

ARTICLE: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/11/arianespace-vega-mohammed-vi-a-launch/ ...

COVERAGE: https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=43800.0 ...

Спойлер

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Arianespace Vega rocket launches Mohammed VI-A
November 7, 2017 by William Graham

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http://spaceflight101.com/vega-vv11/vega-launches-mohammed-vi-a-satellite/

Moroccan Image Reconnaissance Satellite Sent into Orbit by European Vega Rocket
November 8, 2017


Photo: Arianespace Webcast

A European Vega rocket lit up the night over the French Guiana coast line on Tuesday, blasting off with a high-resolution communications satellite built by a European industry consortium for operation by the Kingdom of Morocco as a sharp eye in the sky for civilian benefits like environmental monitoring and mapping while doubling as a national security tool in border and coastal surveillance.

Спойлер

The light-lifter in Arianespace's family of launch vehicles jumped off its launch pad at 1:42 UTC on Wednesday, turning straight north to lift the 1,110-Kilogram Mohammed VI-A satellite into a Sun Synchronous Orbit as the first in a two-satellite constellation. The 30-meter tall Vega fired its three solid-fueled stages in just six minutes before the AVUM upper stage assumed control for a two-burn mission profile. Although orbital parameters were withheld given the partial military nature of the mission, Arianespace confirmed the satellite was deployed into the target orbit 55 minutes after taking off from the Guiana Space Center.


Photo: Arianespace Webcast

Tuesday night's launch was the tenth Arianespace mission of the year, coming after two rare Soyuz missions to Geostationary Transfer Orbit, five dual-payload deliveries by the heavy-lift Ariane 5 rocket and a pair of Vega missions, also carrying Earth observation and reconnaissance satellites into Sun Synchronous Orbits. It was the penultimate launch from French Guiana planned this year with another Ariane 5 on the books, targeting a December 12 liftoff with the next four satellites joining Europe's Galileo navigation constellation.

The Vega VV11 mission became up for grabs on fairly short notice after ESA's ADM-Aeolus experimental wind-profiling mission encountered an initial slip from November to January and then a multi-month delay to mid-2018 – freeing up a Vega launch vehicle for a customer who had a satellite at the ready. Information first emerged in July that a classified passenger had been assigned to the VV11 launch slot. The payload in question was quickly identified as the Moroccan imaging satellite that had shown up under the code name "MN35-13" in various Airbus documents.


Pleiades Earth Imaging Satellite (Mohammed VI-A Similar) – Image: CNES

Re-named Mohammed VI-A in the weeks before launch to honor the current Moroccan King, the satellite was ordered by the North African country in 2013 from Airbus Defence and Space and Thales Alenia – working in a collaboration similar to the French Pleiades high-resolution satellites launched in 2011 & 12 as well as the Falcon Eye imaging constellation currently being readied for launch in 2018/19 for operation by the United Arab Emirates. These satellites all share similar platforms and instruments, though the newer models feature performance improvements including better image resolution and streamlined data processing / mission planning architectures.

No photos of Mohammed VI-A were released during its preparations flow for Tuesday night's launch – the only depictions of the spacecraft are available in the Arianespace VV11 mission booklet and the official launch poster issued by the Guiana Space Center. Based on the AstroSat-1000 platform, the satellite hosts a 65-centimeter aperture telescope with advanced line detector arrays, allowing it to achieve a ground resolution better than 70 centimeters for panchromatic black-and-white imagery and better than three meters for color and near infrared imagery.


Pleiades Satellite – Photo: Airbus Defence and Space

According to official information, the two MN35 satellites will be used for mapping and land surveying, regional development, agricultural and resource monitoring, disaster prevention and mitigation, environmental and desertification monitoring, and border and coastal surveillance.

As Morocco's first optical imaging satellite, the project is closely watched by the country's neighbors – Algeria in particular as the spacecraft gives Morocco the ability of monitoring activities of the Algerian Army and separatists of the Polisario Front that aim to end Morocco's presence in disputed territories of Western Sahara. Documentation shows the Mohammed VI-A satellite will be controlled by the Ministry of Defence from a control center in the Moroccan capital Rabat which is also the base for the mission's primary ground station.

>> Mohammed VI-A Satellite Overview


Photo: ESA (File Image)

Tuesday night's mission marked the third flight of the Vega rocket in 2017 – the expected number of annual flights for Vega's operational career, currently working toward the inauguration of the Vega-C rocket in 2019 to consolidate the Solid Rocket Motors used by the Ariane 6 and Vega programs in an effort to streamline production & reduce cost.

Vega stands 30 meters tall and weighs 137 metric tons, comprising a stack of three solid-fueled stages with an Attitude and Vernier Upper Module (AVUM) sitting atop to give the vehicle multi-orbit and precise injection capability via multiple re-starts.

Vega enjoyed a smooth countdown that picked up nine hours before the night's instantaneous launch opportunity and was largely focused on checkouts of the rocket's Multi-Function Unit serving as the primary onboard control system. Revealed atop its pad when the large Mobile Service Gantry retracted to its launch position, Vega entered a final round of radio link checks followed by reconfigurations for the four-minute synchronized sequence. As computers assumed control of the countdown, Vega went through the transfer to internal power, a last check of the guidance system and the handover to onboard control half a minute before launch.

>> Vega Launch Vehicle


Photo: Arianespace Webcast

Vega fired off the ZLV launch pad at precisely 10:42:31 p.m. local time on Tuesday when the P80 first stage ignited and soared to a peak thrust of 280 metric-ton-force. Departing French Guiana with a thrust to weight ratio greater than two, Vega climbed vertically for only a handful seconds before pitching over onto an ascent path straight north, aiming for a high-inclination orbit.

With P80 consuming over 800 Kilograms of solid propellant per second, Vega accelerated beyond the speed of sound just over half a minute after liftoff and passed the area of Maximum Aerodynamic Pressure when crossing 13 Kilometers in altitude at T+53 seconds. Consuming the last of its 88-metric-ton propellant load, P80 burned out 115 seconds into flight after boosting the rocket to a speed of around 1.7 Kilometers per second.


Photo: Arianespace Webcast

One minute and 57 seconds into the flight, the P80 was jettisoned and the 11.2-meter long Zefiro-23 fired up its solid rocket motor to continue pushing Vega toward space with a thrust of 122 metric-ton-force. Consuming 24 metric tons of packed propellant, the second stage was to accelerate Vega to nearly 4 Kilometers per second and lift it to an altitude of 150 Kilometers.

The second stage dropped away three minutes and 40 seconds after launch, followed 12 seconds later by ignition of the Zefiro-9, the last of Vega's solid-fueled stages. Burning 10 metric tons of propellants over 110 seconds, the 4.1-meter third stage increased the vehicle's speed to 7.5 Kilometers per second – placing it on a sub-orbital arc.

Five seconds into operation of the third stage, Vega split open and jettisoned its two payload fairing halves, revealing the Mohammed VI-A satellite for the rest of its trip into orbit as aerodynamic forces were no longer a factor. As the Z9 stage burned out, Vega held onto the stage for another 50 seconds to allow residual thrust to fully tail off and so avoid re-contact between the spent stage and the upper stage.


Image: Arianespace Webcast

AVUM separated six minutes and 34 seconds after launch to assume control of the flight for a pair of main engine burns to inject Mohammed VI-A into a nearly circular orbit. The upper stage began its operation with an attitude stabilization and a propellant settling maneuver during a minute and a half of coasting before firing up its Main Engine Assembly, built around a Ukrainian RD-869 main engine, at the T+7-minute mark.

AVUM, loaded with 577 Kilograms of propellant, can support extended missions with up to five re-starts of its engine to deliver payloads into a variety of orbits at high injection accuracy. Generating 250 Kilogram-force of thrust, AVUM's first task was lifting Mohammed VI-A into an elliptical parking orbit by firing its engine for seven minutes and 45 seconds. The upper stage was also programmed to dynamically adjust its flight profile in order to correct any errors occurring on the lower stages.


Image: Arianespace Webcast

Arriving in an elliptical Parking Orbit, AVUM entered a passive coast of 36 minutes to climb to the high point of the orbit so that the second burn could serve as circularization maneuver. Re-start of the main engine was confirmed 52 minutes after launch and the upper stage burned for one minute and 51 seconds to reach the planned orbit around 630 Kilometers in altitude. Loaded springs pushed the Mohammed VI-A satellite away from AVUM 55 minutes and 33 seconds after launch, setting sail on a ten-year mission supplying Morocco with dual-purpose monitoring and surveillance data.

Arianespace confirmed that – based on telemetry data from the vehicle – Mohammed VI-A was deployed into the planned Sun-Synchronous Orbit, marking the company's tenth success of the year and leaving Vega with a clean 11/11 record. Next for the satellite is a multi-week commissioning campaign beginning with first signal acquisition shortly after launch followed by detailed systems checks, orbital fine-tuning and preparations of the high-resolution imaging payload for regular mission operations starting when the satellite is turned over to its operator from prime contractor Airbus.

For the AVUM upper stage, the last order of business is a 78-second deorbit burn 107 minutes after launch to transition the stage back onto a sub-orbital arc for disposal via destructive re-entry.

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НОРАД зафиксировал один объект запуска - TBA


43005 / 2017-070A

Epoch (UTC) 2017-11-08 03:34:24, 620 km x 622 km x 97.973°, 97.12 min

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Заявления для прессы

VV11 - 11/07/2017

arianespace

Опубликовано: 7 нояб. 2017 г.

Arianespace has successfully launched the MOHAMMED VI – A satellite dedicated for Earth observation for the Kingdom of Morocco. The satellite was developed by the consortium comprising Thales Alenia Space as system prime contractor and Airbus as co-prime.

The launch took place on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 at 10:42:31 p.m. (local time) from the Guiana Space Center (CSG), Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana (South America).

With this 11th success for Vega since 2012, Arianespace continues to demonstrate the exceptional reliability of its light launcher and its perfect adaptation to the needs of institutional and commercial customers.

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Décollage du Vol Vega 11, depuis le Centre spatial guyanais

CNES CSG

Опубликовано: 7 нояб. 2017 г.

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Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 12 мин. назад

Morocco's Mohammed VI-A satellite cataloged as 43005 in a 620 x 622 km x 98.0 deg orbit with 10:20 local time descending node following successful launch

[Salo]

tnt22, Вы когда-нибудь спите?

Большое спасибо :!:

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Salo пишет:
tnt22, Вы когда-нибудь спите?

Зависит от обстоятельств  :oops:

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Официальная запись трансляции от Arianespace (англ. яз.)

Arianespace Flight VV11 / MOHAMMED VI – A satellite

arianespace

Опубликовано: 7 нояб. 2017 г.

On its 11th consecutive success since entering service in 2012, Arianespace's light-lift Vega launcher today orbited the MOHAMMED VI – A satellite for the Kingdom of Morocco on a nighttime mission from the Spaceport in French Guiana.

(1:07:00)

Франкоязычная версия - (1:07:00)