The high-resolution optical Earth observation satellite Multipurpose Practical Satellite-7 (Arirang 7) will head into space from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana in South America in the early morning of the 2nd, Korea time.
Arianespace said on the 1st that the launch readiness review (LRR) for the Arirang 7 launch mission "VV28" was finalized on the 29th. All preparation procedures for the Vega-C launch vehicle and the payload satellite Arirang 7 have been completed, and liftoff is scheduled for 2:21 p.m. local time on the 1st (2:21 a.m. on the 2nd, Korea time).
According to the briefing materials released by Arianespace, Arirang 7 is planned to be inserted into a 576-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) about 44 minutes after liftoff. The satellite's launch mass is about 1,810 kilograms.
Arirang 7 carries a high-resolution optical camera capable of identifying objects 0.3 meters in size and an infrared (IR) sensor. It plans to provide high-quality imagery to be used in a range of public and policy areas, including disaster and hazard monitoring, land and environmental monitoring, public safety management, and analysis of urban heat island effects.
Development of Arirang 7 began in Aug. 2016, and the satellite's final assembly and space environmental tests were completed in Dec. 2023. The launch was initially targeted for the second half of 2021, but the schedule was adjusted several times due to defects in the manufacture of some components and the COVID-19 situation, delaying the launch by about four years.
Vega-C is a medium-class launch vehicle developed by upgrading the original Vega rocket, with Italian aerospace company Avio in charge of production. It consists of three solid-fuel stages and one liquid-fuel stage, and can carry about 2.3 tons of payload to an altitude of 700 kilometers. It has performance similar to Korea's Nuri launch vehicle, which can carry 2.2 tons to the same altitude.
In particular, Vega-C can deploy satellites into up to three different orbits through stepwise re-ignition capability, and its enlarged fairing (satellite protective cover) enables the transport of larger payloads.
This launch is Arianespace's sixth mission of the year and Vega-C's sixth flight. If successful, Arianespace will mark its ninth successful launch of a Korean satellite, and the fourth involving a satellite ordered by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI). Arianespace is also slated to handle the launch of Multipurpose Practical Satellite-6 (Arirang 6) in the first half of next year.