Vega flight VV01
| Company type | Rocket launch mission |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Founded | February 13, 2012 |
| Headquarters | Kourou , French Guiana |
| Products | Satellite launch services |
Vega flight VV01 (formally known as the Vega qualification flight VV01) marked the inaugural launch of the Vega vehicle, executed from the Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG) on 13 February 2012 at precisely 10:00:00 UTC.
Payload
This first mission carried a total of nine satellites, comprising two scientific payloads and seven educational CubeSats, with an aggregate mass close to , which included roughly 400 kg of satellites along with their adapters and deployment mechanisms. Although the three CubeSat dispensers were capable of accommodating up to nine CubeSats, only seven of the nine initially selected satellites were ultimately approved for launch.
LARES
The main payload, LAser RElativity Satellite (LARES), was the first to detach. It was intended to enter a circular orbit at an altitude of with an inclination of 69.5°. Designed as a tungsten alloy sphere weighing approximately and measuring in diameter, its notably high density necessitated a custom separation system (SSEP).
ALMASat-1
The secondary payload, Alma Mater Satellite-1 (ALMASat-1), weighed and featured a cubic shape roughly per side. Its orbital parameters and adapter configuration were dictated by LARES’s mission profile. Post-flight evaluations identified an anomaly during its deployment into an elliptical orbit (345 x 1450 km, 69.5° inclination), attributed to insufficient voltage from LARES combined with thermal imbalance within the separation system (AD-SS). Initial telemetry was received on 14 February 2012; however, an onboard malfunction caused eventual loss of signal.
e-st@r
The Educational SaTellite @ politecnico di toRino (e-st@r) was one of the seven educational CubeSats aboard Vega’s debut mission, sharing a similar elliptical orbit with ALMASat-1. Its operations were compromised by unexpected tumbling motions, leading to mission termination in December 2012.
Goliat
Goliat, another educational CubeSat among the seven on Vega's first flight, orbited elliptically akin to ALMASat-1. It failed to achieve stable attitude control, experienced intermittent communications until contact was lost on 18 February 2012, and eventually re-entered Earth’s atmosphere where it disintegrated on 2 January 2015.
MaSat-1
Magyar Satellite-1 (MaSat-1) was included among the seven educational CubeSats launched on Vega’s maiden flight, occupying an orbit comparable to that of ALMASat-1. It remained operational for nearly three years before reentering Earth's atmosphere on 9 January 2015.
PW-Sat-1
PW-Sat-1, part of the educational CubeSat group on Vega’s initial flight, shared an elliptical orbit with ALMASat-1. Its intended tail deployment for atmospheric re-entry in 2013 did not succeed; communication ceased on 23 December 2012, and it reentered Earth’s atmosphere on 28 October 2014.
ROBUSTA
Radiation on Bipolar University Satellite Test Application (ROBUSTA) was another CubeSat launched with Vega’s maiden mission, occupying a similar orbit to ALMASat-1. After transmitting a faint signal shortly after deployment, no further contact occurred due to a manufacturing flaw that prevented battery charging.
UniCubeSat-GG
UniCubeSat-GG was among the seven educational CubeSats deployed during Vega's inaugural mission, occupying an elliptical orbit similar to that of ALMASat-1. Its operational period for data transmission lasted between one and two weeks following deployment.
Xatcobeo
Included in the group of seven educational CubeSats on Vega's debut flight, Xatcobeo shared a comparable elliptical orbit to ALMASat-1, but encountered unforeseen tumbling issues during its mission.
Launch date
The Vega qualification flight successfully lifted off on 13 February 2012 at 10:00 UTC from the ELV launch pad located in Kourou, French Guiana. This event represented Arianespace's initial launch of the year 2012, preceding a series of seven Ariane 5 and two Soyuz launches.
Orbit
The entire mission spanned 1 hour and 21 minutes, placing the main payload into a circular orbit at roughly 1450 km altitude with an inclination of 69.5°, while secondary payloads were inserted into elliptical orbits featuring perigees around 345 km.