The European Space Agency (ESA) Vega-C rocket disappeared shortly after liftoff on Tuesday, an official at the space center in Kourou, French Guiana announced.
“The mission has been lost,” said Arianespace chief Stéphane Israel of the Kourou space center.
The rocket, which was to make the first commercial flight, disappeared with two Airbus satellites on board.
Ten minutes after liftoff, at 10:47 p.m. on Tuesday (1:47 a.m. in Lisbon), the rocket’s trajectory deviated from the programmed one and the telemetry stopped reaching the control room.
The company began a data analysis to determine the causes of the disappearance of the rocket.
Tuesday’s mission was planned as Vega-C’s first commercial flight after the first launch on July 13. Originally scheduled for November 24, the flight was delayed by nearly a month due to problems with a launch part.
* News updated at 9:51 am
Source: TSF
