Tag: France

  • Europe’s lightweight Vega launcher nears 10th flight

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    The Vega rocket’s solid-fueled Zefiro 23 second stage was hoisted on top of the launcher’s first stage last month on a launch pad at the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. Credit: ESA/CNES/Arianespace – Photo Optique Video du CSG – P. Piron A solid-fueled Vega rocket has been stacked on a launch pad in…

  • InSight lander’s troubled seismometer passes major test

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    The InSight spacecraft is pictured in 2015 at Lockheed Martin’s assembly facility near Denver. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Lockheed Martin A balky interplanetary seismic instrument that ran into technical problems in 2015, forcing a two-year delay in the launch of NASA’s InSight lander to Mars, cleared a major test last week after engineers redesigned part of the sensor…

  • France to privatize its Arianespace shares

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    Artist’s concept of the Ariane 6 rocket with four solid rocket boosters. Credit: ESA–D. Ducros, 2014 The French government has signaled its intention to sell its stake in Arianespace, a major step in consolidating the European launcher industry under the control of a joint venture formed by Airbus and rocket engine manufacturer Safran. The move…