Latest Mission updates

Vega December 2, 2016

Vega is cleared for liftoff on Arianespace’s Dec. 5 mission with GÖKTÜRK-1

Arianespace’s upcoming Vega flight with the GÖKTÜRK-1 optical satellite has been approved for liftoff on December 5 from the Spaceport in French Guiana.

Launch window for Arianespace’s Vega Flight VV08 with Turkey’s GÖKTÜRK-1

This launch is to deploy GÖKTÜRK-1 during a mission lasting just over 57 minutes, with Vega placing its passenger into a Sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of approximately 700 km.

Designated VV08 in Arianespace’s numbering system, the flight will mark the lightweight vehicle’s fifth mission at the service of Earth observation.

Authorization for Monday’s launch was given at the completion of a launch readiness review today that confirmed the “go” status of Vega, its satellite payload, the Spaceport’s infrastructure and the flight-following tracking station network.

Turkey: a new export customer for Vega

GÖKTÜRK-1 is Turkey’s first governmental satellite for Earth observation, designed to provide very high-resolution images for both civilian and military applications.

With Flight VV08, Turkey becomes a new export customer for this latest member of Arianespace’s launcher family, and the country’s Undersecretariat for Defence Industries (SSM) is the 55th operator to select Arianespace for the launch of its initial satellite.

Vega’s morning departure from the Spaceport’s ZLV launch site is set at exactly 10:51:44 a.m., local time in French Guiana on Monday.

A Telespazio-led program for GÖKTÜRK-1

Telespazio is prime contractor for the GÖKTÜRK-1 program, working under terms of an agreement with SSM. Thales Alenia Space and its Turkish partners – including the companies TAI A.S., Aselsan A.S., Tubitak Bilgem, Roketsan A.S. and TR Tecnoloji – built GÖKTÜRK-1, which is based on the PROTEUS spacecraft platform.

For liftoff, the satellite will have a mass of 1,060 kg. and is configured for a design life of seven years and three months in low-Earth orbit.

During Flight VV08, Vega’s liquid bipropellant upper stage – called the Attitude and Vernier Upper Module (AVUM) – will perform two burns before GÖKTÜRK-1 is released.

For additional information on Flight VV08, download the Arianespace launch kit:

Vega Flight VV08
PDF / 560 KB

Turkish Undersecretariat for Defence Industries website: www.ssm.gov.tr/home/Sayfalar/default.aspx

Telespazio website: www.telespazio.com

Thales Group website: www.thalesgroup.com

Vega November 29, 2016

The Vega launcher is complete for next week’s Arianespace mission with GÖKTÜRK-1

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