Arianespace to launch satellites for Earth imaging, data relay

Arianespace announced four launch orders this week to deploy spacecraft in orbit for a subsidiary of Google, the United Arab Emirates and Europe’s new laser data relay satellite network. The missions will launch from the Guiana Space Center on the northern coast of South America, where Arianespace operates the Ariane 5, Soyuz and Vega rocket families. Revealed in conjunction with the Satellite 2015 conference in Washington, the contracts cover launches starting in 2016, when a lightweight solid-fueled Vega rocket will send four high-resolution Earth observation satellites into polar orbit for Skybox Imaging. More

(Source: SpaceFlignt Now - Mar 22)