overview

Launch vehicle
Vega
Launch date
November 7, 2017
Customer(s)
Thales Alenia Space and Airbus for Kingdom of Morocco
Status
Success
Payload(s)
MOHAMMED VI - A satellite
Prime contractor(s)
Thales Alenia Space, Airbus
Launch site
Spaceport, French Guiana (Guiana Space Center)
Orbit
Sun-synchronous orbit

mission
description

Flight VV11: Vega to launch an Earth observation satellite for the Kingdom of Morocco

For its 10th launch of the year, and the 11th Vega mission since this launcher began its career at the Guiana Space Center in 2012, Arianespace will orbit the MOHAMMED VI – A satellite. This Earth observation satellite for the Kingdom of Morocco was developed by a consortium comprising Thales Alenia Space as system prime contractor and Airbus as co-prime.

Flight VV11 marks the eighth Earth observation mission for Vega, a versatile light launcher.

Washington D.C.
8:42:31 p.m.
French Guiana
10:42:31 p.m.
Universal Time (UTC)
1:42:31
Rabat, Morocco
1:42:31 a.m.
Paris, France
2:42:31 a.m.

Payload

MOHAMMED VI – A satellite

The MOHAMMED VI – A satellite is an Earth observation satellite built for the Kingdom of Morocco by Thales Alenia Space as system prime contractor and Airbus as co-prime.

The MOHAMMED VI – A satellite will be in particular used for mapping and land surveying activities, regional development, agricultural monitoring, the prevention and management of natural disasters, monitoring changes in the environment and desertification, as well as border and coastal surveillance.

A three-axis stabilized satellite, the MOHAMMED VI – A satellite will weigh approximately 1,110 kg. at launch.

Thales Alenia Space, as system prime contractor, supplied the payload, including the optical instrument, the image transmission subsystem, and the ground segment for image processing and production. Airbus, as satellite prime contractor, was in charge of its integration, as well as supplying the platform and the ground segment for mission planning and satellite control.

The MOHAMMED VI – A satellite is the 150th satellite built by Thales Alenia Space to be launched by Arianespace, which has 15 more satellites from this manufacturer in its order book.

countdown
and flight

events
  • Start of final countdown
  • Activation of Multi-Functional Unit (MFU)
  • Activation of Inertial Reference System (IRS)
  • Activation of telemetry
  • show the countdown
  • Liftoff
    00:00
  • show the countdown
  • Separation of the MOHAMMED VI - A satellite
  • 3rd ignition of AVUM
  • 3rd cut-off of AVUM