Morocco’s first high-resolution surveillance satellite launched aboard Vega rocket

A reconnaissance satellite built in secrecy in France for the Moroccan government launched Tuesday on top of a Vega rocket from the Guiana Space Center in South America. The Mohammed VI-A optical imaging craft, named for the Moroccan king, lifted off at 8:42:31 p.m. EST Tuesday (01:42:31 GMT Wednesday) from the European-run spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The high-resolution surveillance satellite rode a 98-foot-tall (30-meter) Vega rocket into a roughly 385-mile-high (620-kilometer) polar orbit following the late night liftoff at 10:42 p.m. local time in French Guiana. More

(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Nov 9)