Arianespace orbits the MOHAMMED VI – B satellite
on 13th successful Vega launch in a row
Arianespace’s ninth launch of the year, and
the second using Vega in 2018, took place on
Tuesday, November 20, 2018 at 10:42 p.m.
(local time) from the Guiana Space Center
(CSG), Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana
(South America).
This launch marks the 13th successful
mission in a row for Vega since it entered
service in 2012, as Arianespace continues to
prove that its light launcher is a perfect
match for the requirements of both
government and commercial customers.
A second Earth observation satellite for
Morocco
The MOHAMMED VI – B satellite is the second
spacecraft launched by Arianespace for the
Kingdom of Morocco, within the scope of the
country’s Earth observation program,
MOHAMMED VI – A & B. It joins the MOHAMMED
VI – A satellite which was orbited by
Arianespace on November 7, 2017, also using
a Vega launcher.
The MOHAMMED VI – B satellite will mostly be
used for mapping and land surveying,
regional development, agricultural
monitoring, the prevention and management of
natural disasters, monitoring changes in the
environment and desertification, and border
and coastal surveillance.
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 mission, Arianespace has now
orbited 67 Earth observation satellites
using its family of launchers: Ariane, Soyuz
and Vega, for institutional and commercial
customers. From this standpoint, the end of
the year is symbolic: after two successful
launches in November (Metop-C on Soyuz for
EUMETSAT on November 5, and the MOHAMMED VI
– B satellite on Vega today), two other
launches for Earth observation are scheduled
in December: GEO-KOMPSAT-2A on Ariane 5,
followed by CSO-1 for the French DGA
(Directorate General of Armaments) and the
French CNES space agency on Soyuz.
From the total of all satellites launched by
Arianespace, 10% were for Earth observation
missions, in particular for European
programs: Copernicus for the European Space
Agency (ESA) and Metop/Meteosat for
EUMETSAT.
Ninth Arianespace launch in 2018 and 13
successes in a row for Vega
With today’s launch of Flight VV13,
Arianespace’s ninth in 2018, the Vega
launcher completes its second mission this
year and its 13th success in a row since
starting operations at the Guiana Space
Center in 2012.
Arianespace is also gearing up for the
future with Vega C, the new generation of
this light launcher, scheduled to make its
first flight at the end of 2019. Vega C will
boost performance in terms of payload
capacity (weight and volume), enabling it to
carry out an even broader spectrum of
missions (from nanosatellites to large
optical and radar observation satellites),
and will further improve the competitiveness
of Arianespace’s launch services. Vega will
perform another emblematic mission in 2019,
a demonstration flight for the SSMS (Small
Spacecraft Mission Service), capable of
carrying up to 81 smallsats.
With a backlog of 11 missions for Vega and
Vega C, including one-third for European
institutions and two-thirds in export
markets, Arianespace confirms the validity
of its launch services for the dynamic
market of lightweight satellites in low
Earth orbit.
Vega C and Ariane 6 will be used in concert
to address all market segments beginning in
the 2019/2020 timeframe.
Shortly after the announcement of the
satellite’s orbital injection, Stéphane
Israël, Chief Executive Officer of
Arianespace, said: “Arianespace is proud to
have orbited the MOHAMMED VI – B satellite
on our 13th successful launch in a row of
Vega since it was introduced at the Guiana
Space Center. We are delighted that the
Kingdom of Morocco has continued to entrust
us with its second satellite, following the
MOHAMMED VI – A satellite that we launched
successfully last year. Congratulations to
Thales Alenia Space, prime contractor for
the MOHAMMED VI – B satellite, and to
Airbus, as co-prime. With the launch of this
satellite today, we are extending a
long-standing partnership with Thales Alenia
Space and Airbus.
“Vega has performed its second successful
launch of 2018, also for Earth observation,
clearly showing its relevance for this
market segment. I would like to congratulate
all of our partners for this success: the
launcher’s industrial prime contractor,
Avio; ESA, for its active support for the
Vega program, including the Italian space
agency as the leading contributor; CNES/CSG,
our ground segment companies and all staff
at the space center, who support us as we go
from success to success. Lastly,
congratulations to everyone at Arianespace
who, as we close out this year, together are
performing launches every two weeks.”