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European Space Rocket Launch Fails Minutes After Take-Off

A European space rocket failed minutes after taking off with the loss of both satellites it was carrying. The launch’s failure is the second in as many years.

The Vega light launcher, which would have placed Spain’s first satellite into orbit, malfunctioned roughly eight minutes after launching from a space centre in Kourou, French Guiana.

Having taken off at around 11 pm local time (0200 GMT) Monday, the launcher slowed before it encountered an unidentified “anomaly,” said Arianespace, the company overseeing the launch.

“The mission is lost,” CEO Stephane Israel said in a Livestream to track the rocket.

Vega was supposed to place two satellites — both of which were lost during the mission — around 700 kilometres (435 miles) from Earth.

The mission would have launched Spain’s first Earth observation satellite for the European Space Agency (ESA).

It would also have placed into orbit Taranis, a French satellite that would have observed extremely bright electrical phenomena in the planet’s upper atmosphere.

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Shankul Bhandare

Hello, I am shankul and I love defence research and development and want to spread it through blogging.

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