First Slovenian satellites launched into orbit
After several postponements, the Vega rocket carrying the first Slovenian satellites, Nemo HD and Trisat, was launched today in French Guiana. This is also a historic moment for European science since no European rocket has so far been equipped with so many satellites.
The rocket of the Arianespace company was launched at 3:51 CET from the CSG space centre in Kourou, and it is now already in space.
Some 40 minutes after the launch, the Nemo HD microsatellite was the second satellite to be deployed, being placed in orbit around the Earth at an altitude of about 515 kilometres. The first contact with the station in Ljubljana is anticipated at 10:43.
The deployment of the Trisat nanosatellite is expected to take place after 5:30 at an altitude of about 530 kilometres, which will also be the altitude of the orbit, and the first contact with this satellite via the station in Maribor is expected at 10:50.
This launch is not only a breakthrough for Slovenian science, but also for European, as this is the first time that so many small satellites have been launched into orbit on board a European rocket. This is the first test of the so-called Small Spacecraft Mission Service (SSMS). The microsatellites are positioned on the upper deck of the special dispenser, and the nanosatellites, which are usually ten times smaller, occupy the bottom section.