The European Space Agency’s Vega light space vehicle, equipped with a Ukrainian-produced engine, has successfully completed its 15th launch, bringing multiple microsatellites to their orbits around the Earth.
The launch took place at the Kourou Space Center in French Guiana in South America on Sept. 3 at 4.41 a.m. Kyiv time, as part of the ESA’s Small Spacecraft Mission Service, according to Ukraine’s major aerospace design bureau Pivdenne.
“Vega has launched 53 micro- and nanosatellites… each weighing between 15 and 150 kilograms, and also 46 сubesats (miniature cube-shaped satellites),” Pivdenne said on Sept 4.
“These space probes belong to 21 organizations from 13 nations, and they were designed for various tasks, such as Earth observation, communications, science, technology and education.”
The Vega rocket’s stage four is equipped with liquid propellant engine RD-843, which was designed by Pivdenne and produced by the Pivdenmash factory in the city of Dnipro in Ukraine.
“The RD-843 engine is featured for its ability to perform… up to five ignitions during a flight,” the Ukrainian design bureau added.
“Thanks to this, satellites can be sent to different orbits. Now there are ongoing works to improve the engine’s specifications and increase the amount of payload it can launch.”
The Vega program has been carrying out space launches using Ukrainian engines since 2012.
