Today Arianespace and the European Space Agency have announced the closing of the contract to launch the Biomass earth observation satellite with Vega.

The Earth Explorer Biomass mission will provide global maps of the amount of carbon stored in forests worldwide, mainly through the analysis of carbon dioxide release due to fossil fuels consumption and deforestation. Biomass also will provide essential support to United Nations treaties on the reduction of emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.

Arianespace and AVIO/ELV are organizing the second VEGA Users’ Day on July 7 and 8, 2016 in Rome. Stéphane Israël, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Arianespace, Giulio Ranzo, CEO of AVIO, and Pierluigi Pirrelli, CEO of ELV, will be hosting a meeting with all customers and partners on Europe’s light launch vehicle to review its operations and performance in the commercial and government markets. The other aim of this meeting is to lay solid foundations for the future, with the advent of the upgraded VEGA-C launcher.

European launcher Ariane 5 has successfully completed its third mission in 2016, putting the BRIsat and EchoStar XVIII satellites into orbit.
The mission left the European Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana Saturday 18th June at 18:39 local time, 23:39 in Roma, and had a duration of 42 minutes. The BRIsat and EchoStar 18 satellites were put correctly into a geostationary transfer orbit.

The mission lifted off at 02:20 AM local time, 06:20 AM in Rome, from the Kourou European Space Centre in French Guiana, and lasted for a total of 27 minutes and 23 seconds. EUTELSAT 65 WEST A was correctly placed into a geostationary transfer orbit.

This is the 273rd mission carried out by the European family of launchers, which includes the VEGA – a next-generation launcher designed and built by AVIO through its ELV subsidiary. The two motors produced by AVIO provided the necessary thrust to Ariane 5 in the first 120 seconds after take-off.

Ariane 5 is ready for its first flight in 2016: on January 27, a European launcher will propel the Intelsat 29e satellite into orbit. This will be the 273rd mission carried out by the European family of launchers, which includes the VEGA – a next-generation launcher designed and built by AVIO through its ELV subsidiary.