Vega's Launch Postponed Due To Bad Weather: ESA
The launch of Vega, Europe's lightweight rocket, has been postponed, said the European Space Agency. The rocket was set to be launched from Kourou spaceport in French Guiana.
"The weather conditions being unfavourable over the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, the European Space Agency (ESA) and Arianespace have decided to postpone VV02. VV02 will place into orbit the Proba-V, VNREDSat-1 and ESTCube-1 satellites," according to a statement.
High altitude winds over the launch site were the reason the mission was postponed, said Arianespace, a French company associated with the launch, according to a news release.
ESA added that the future launch date will depend on the "evolution of the weather conditions in Kourou."
Vega is designed to place small satellites, weight around 300-2000 kg (661 to 4409 pounds) in the orbit. The launcher was supposed to place Proba-V satellite in space, which would collect information about the vegetation cover on earth. Vega had successfully completed its maiden flight in February last year.
VNREDSat-1, a 120-kg optical satellite, was also scheduled to be placed in the orbit. This satellite from Vietnam is designed to collect data on climate changes. Another passenger atop Vega was ESTCube-1, designed by students from Estonia.