Designated Flight VV07, the mission marked Vega’s seventh launch since entering service in 2012 — all of them successful — and once again demonstrated the reliability of Arianespace’s launcher family from the Guiana Space Center (CSG) in French Guiana.

Five Earth Observation Satellites Deployed

The mission delivered:

• Four SkySat satellites (SkySat-4, -5, -6 and -7) for Terra Bella (a Google company)
• One PerúSAT-1 satellite for Peru’s national space agency, CONIDA

SkySat Constellation Expansion

Installed atop Vega’s VESPA (Vega Secondary Payload Adaptor), the four SkySat satellites were released sequentially into Sun-synchronous orbit approximately 40 minutes after liftoff.

Each satellite, weighing around 110 kg at launch, will operate at an altitude of 500 km, providing very-high-resolution 3D mapping of the Earth’s surface. These spacecraft expand Terra Bella’s existing Earth observation constellation.

PerúSAT-1: Peru’s First Earth Observation Satellite

PerúSAT-1, with a liftoff mass of approximately 430 kg, was deployed one hour and 42 minutes after launch into a Sun-synchronous orbit at 695 km.

Built by Airbus Defence and Space using the AstroBus-S platform, the satellite integrates the advanced NAOMI optical instrument, featuring a next-generation silicon carbide optical sensor. PerúSAT-1 marks a major milestone as Peru’s first Earth observation satellite.

Vega’s Role in Europe’s Launcher Family

The VV07 mission also highlighted Vega’s strategic position within Arianespace’s launcher portfolio, complementing:

• The medium-lift Soyuz
• The heavy-lift Ariane 5

For the first time in its commercial phase, Vega carried payloads for two non-European customers on a single mission — reinforcing its global competitiveness.

GTD at the Guiana Space Center: Supporting Every Launch

Since 2003, GTD has played a critical role in launch operations at the Guiana Space Center.

For every Ariane 5, Soyuz and Vega launch, GTD’s technical teams provide mission-critical services and software across multiple operational domains.

Ground Systems, Telemetry and Mission Control

GTD contributes to nearly every phase of a launcher mission, including:

• Flight program software
• Ground control systems
• Radar and telemetry systems
• Mission control systems

Each launch requires weeks — sometimes months — of preparation.

Countdown Campaign

• Launcher preparation: 22–30 working days
• Payload preparation: 4 weeks to 5 months

GTD teams support up to:

• 7 dual Ariane 5 launches per year
• 4 Soyuz launches
• 2 Vega launches

This represents up to 14 telecommunications satellites and 4–6 Earth observation and scientific spacecraft annually.

Launch Day Operations

During the final countdown:

• Liquid propellant filling operations are performed
• Ground system tests are conducted
• Radar and telemetry systems are activated from Des Pêres Mountain
• Weather conditions are assessed

GTD personnel operate across multiple sites at the spaceport — from the launch bunker to the Jupiter Control Center (CDC).

Simultaneously, a backup configuration of computer systems is prepared in Barcelona, nearly 8,000 km away, ensuring operational resilience.

After Liftoff

Once airborne, the launcher is controlled both:

• Onboard by embedded flight computers
• From the Jupiter Control Center

Both systems were designed and are operated by GTD engineers.

When the payloads are successfully released at 500–600 km altitude, applause fills the control room — but for GTD’s engineers, attention quickly shifts to the next mission.

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