Europe Says Goodbye to Vega Rocket in Copernicus Mission

Arianespace launches the final Vega mission on Sept. 4, 2024. Photo: Arianespace

Arianespace launched the final mission for the original Vega rocket on Sept. 4, launching the Copernicus Sentinel-2C satellite. 

Vega was in service for 12 years with 20 successful flights. It will be replaced by the upgraded Vega-C launcher, which is expected to return to flight by the end of this year. The rocket debuted in July of 2022, but suffered a failure during its second mission caused by an issue with a nozzle in the second stage.