New launch contract for Vega and another one for two Vega C launches signed

GIULIO RANZO, CEO OF AVIO, SAID: “AN IMPORTANT CONFIRMATION ON THE AVIO PRODUCT MARKET”

Paris/Le Bourget, 20th June 2017 – Two contracts for three new launches with Vega and Vega C were signed on the first two days of the International Paris Air Show/Le Bourget.

Arianespace signed a contract with OHB Italia to launch the PRISMA satellite of the Italian Space Agency in 2018.

PRISMA (PRecursore IperSpettrale della Missione Applicativa) is a satellite for Earth observation equipped with an innovative electro-optical instrument that combines a hyperspectral sensor with panchromatic camera at medium resolution. Built by OHB Italia, the PRISMA satellite will be positioned in an heliosynchronous orbit at an altitude of 615 km.

Arianespace signed the second contract with Airbus Defence and Space for two flights with the new Vega C launcher to take four high optical resolution satellites into orbit for Earth observation. It is the first commercial launch contract for the new version of the Vega launcher, presently still in the development stage and scheduled to fly for the first time in 2019.

With this new contract, the innovative Vega C proves that it can be a competitive solution for launching satellite constellations for Earth observation boasting advanced technological content.

The new contract also underscores the confidence of a large customer like Airbus Defence and Space in the technologies and reliability of the Vega launchers and in their versatile use in demanding missions requiring utmost orbit insertion accuracy.

Giulio Ranzo, CEO of Avio, commented: “The new launch contracts signed by Arianespace for Vega represent an important recognition of the quality of Avio’s technologies and level of reliability”.