Evry, France (SPX) Jan 19, 2022 Arianespace has been awarded a launch contract by ESA, on behalf of...
Arianespace has been awarded a launch contract by ESA, on behalf of the European Commission, to launch Microcarb in 2023 on Vega C. Microcarb is a 190kg satellite developed by CNES that will be delivered into a sun-synchronous orbit, 650km above the Earth.
"We are very proud of this new launch contract, which underlines the capacity of Arianespace to design the most competitive launch solutions, here with Vega C, to address the needs of European institutions", Stephane Israel, CEO of Arianespace, declared.
Microcarb is a small satellite designed to map sources and sinks of carbon dioxide-the most important greenhouse gas - on a global scale.
To better understand the impact of CO2 produced by human activity and how this greenhouse gas is released and absorbed, NASA launched the OCO-2 satellite in 2014.
In 2023, CNES will take over this role with the launch of Microcarb.
The Microcarb mission includes funding from French Investments for the Future Programmes, as well as from the European Union framework programme for Research and Innovation, Horizon 2020.
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Arianespace confirmed its strong performance in 2021, with 15 successful launches - five more than in 2020 - and 305 satellites sent into orbit using its three launchers, Ariane, Soyuz and Vega, from three different launch bases.
It has a backlog of 36 launches, with 22 more satellites added in 2021.