{"id":11121,"date":"2022-12-21T17:59:08","date_gmt":"2022-12-21T09:59:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/two-pleiades-neo-earth-imaging-satellites-lost-in-failure-of-europes-vega-c-rocket\/"},"modified":"2022-12-21T17:59:08","modified_gmt":"2022-12-21T09:59:08","slug":"two-pleiades-neo-earth-imaging-satellites-lost-in-failure-of-europes-vega-c-rocket","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/two-pleiades-neo-earth-imaging-satellites-lost-in-failure-of-europes-vega-c-rocket\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Pl\u00e9iades Neo Earth-imaging satellites lost in failure of Europe\u2019s Vega C rocket"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>EDITOR\u2019S NOTE:&nbsp;<\/strong>Updated at 12 p.m. EST (1700 GMT) with details from news conference.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_60231\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-60231\" style=\"width: 2520px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-60231\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/20221220vv22zefiro40art.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2520\" height=\"1406\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/20221220vv22zefiro40art.jpg 2520w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/20221220vv22zefiro40art-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/20221220vv22zefiro40art-678x378.jpg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/20221220vv22zefiro40art-768x428.jpg 768w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/20221220vv22zefiro40art-1536x857.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/20221220vv22zefiro40art-2048x1143.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2520px) 100vw, 2520px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-60231\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Illustration of the Vega C rocket with its Zefiro 40 second stage firing. Credit: Arianespace<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The final two spacecraft in Airbus\u2019s four-satellite, 600 million-euro commercial Pl\u00e9iades Neo Earth observation fleet crashed into the Atlantic Ocean shortly after launch from French Guiana Tuesday night, falling victim to a failure of a European Vega C rocket.<\/p>\n<p>The Vega C rocket\u2019s launch operator, Arianespace, confirmed the mission failed to place the two Pl\u00e9iades Neo optical imaging satellites into orbit. The preliminary focus of the failure investigation centered on the Vega C rocket\u2019s second stage.<\/p>\n<p>The 114-foot-tall (34.8-meter) rocket lifted off from the Guiana Space Center at 8:47:31 p.m. EST Tuesday (0147:31 GMT Wednesday) with the Pl\u00e9iades Neo 5 and 6 Earth-imaging satellites for Airbus Defense and Space. The target was a polar sun-synchronous orbit.<\/p>\n<p>The Vega C\u2019s powerful solid-fueled P120C first stage booster burned nearly two-and-a-half minutes, producing a million pounds of thrust to accelerate the rocket into the upper atmosphere. Heading north from the South American coastline, the rocket shed its spent first stage motor casing and fired a second stage Zefiro 40 motor to continue the climb into space.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1605380047375929345&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fspaceflightnow.com%2F2022%2F12%2F21%2Ftwo-pleiades-neo-earth-imaging-satellites-lost-in-failure-of-europes-vega-c-rocket%2F&amp;sessionId=9a9f8b43f17dfd14e5762d2f691880a4441bf351&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"1605380047375929345\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782468585684222997=\"true\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Liftoff of Europe\u2019s Vega C rocket on its first operational mission from the Guiana Space Center, carrying two sharp-eyed Pl\u00e9iades Neo optical Earth-imaging satellites into polar orbit for Airbus. https:\/\/t.co\/rUACF3jhhj pic.twitter.com\/X1NZwlb8mh<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Spaceflight Now (@SpaceflightNow) December 21, 2022<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>But Arianespace officials said the rocket ran into trouble soon after the start of the Zefiro 40 motor firing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter the liftoff and the nominal ignition of P120C, which is the first stage of the Vega, an underpressure has been observed on the Zefiro 40, which is the second stage of the Vega,\u201d said St\u00e9phane Isra\u00ebl, Arianespace\u2019s CEO. <em>\u201c<\/em>And after this underpressure, we have observed a deviation of the trajectory and a very strong anomaly. Unfortunately, we can say that the mission is lost.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Telemetry showed a \u201cprogressive decrease\u201d the chamber pressure in the Zefiro 40 solid rocket motor beginning about seven seconds after it ignited, following a good burn by the P120C first stage motor, said Pierre-Yves Tissier, Arianespace\u2019s chief technical officer, in a press briefing Wednesday. The chamber pressure suddenly dropped at about T+plus 3 minutes, 28 seconds, about two-thirds of the way through the Zefiro 40\u2019s planned burn.<\/p>\n<p>Tissier said Wednesday that range safety officials at the Guiana Space Center sent a destruct command to the rocket when it veered off its planned course.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-1\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1605694935986053149&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fspaceflightnow.com%2F2022%2F12%2F21%2Ftwo-pleiades-neo-earth-imaging-satellites-lost-in-failure-of-europes-vega-c-rocket%2F&amp;sessionId=9a9f8b43f17dfd14e5762d2f691880a4441bf351&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"1605694935986053149\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782468585684222997=\"true\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The chamber pressure in the Zefiro 40 second stage motor suddenly dropped at T+plus 3 minutes, 28 seconds. A tracker saw a change in the Vega rocket exhaust plume around the same time.<\/p>\n<p>The rocket fell into the sea north of the French Guiana launch site.https:\/\/t.co\/YbDbmhkqL3 pic.twitter.com\/lY88e8Va2c<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Spaceflight Now (@SpaceflightNow) December 21, 2022<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want to deeply apologize to our customer, Pl\u00e9iades Neo and Airbus Defense and Space, for this failure tonight,\u201d Isra\u00ebl said Tuesday night. \u201cAnd we will now have to work with all our partners to better understand why the Zefiro 40 has not worked properly tonight, triggering the failure of the mission.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Isra\u00ebl said a preliminary look at the data from the Vega C launch failure shows no impact on Europe\u2019s Ariane 5 and Ariane 6 rockets. There are two flights of the workhorse Ariane 5 rocket remaining to launch next year before Europe moves on to the Ariane 6, which is scheduled to debut in late 2023. The Ariane 6 rocket shares the P120C solid rocket motor design with the Vega C, but so far, the investigation shows the failure Tuesday night was limited to the Zefiro 40 second stage.<\/p>\n<p>An inquiry chaired by Arianespace\u2019s chief technical officer and the inspector general of the European Space Agency will investigate the root cause of the Vega C launch failure.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_60232\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-60232\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-60232\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/20221220vegac.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1132\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/20221220vegac.jpg 800w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/20221220vegac-212x300.jpg 212w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/20221220vegac-678x959.jpg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/20221220vegac-768x1087.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-60232\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Europe\u2019s Vega C rocket on the launch pad in French Guiana, hours before liftoff on the doomed mission with the Pl\u00e9iades Neo 5 and 6 satellites. Credit: ESA\/CNES\/Arianespace\/JM Guillon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Zefiro 40 second stage, like the Vega C\u2019s other solid-fueled booster stages, is produced by the rocket\u2019s prime contractor, the Italian aerospace company Avio. The second stage motor is designed to burn its supply of 40 tons (36 metric tons) of pre-packed solid propellant in about 90 seconds.<\/p>\n<p>The Vega C rocket replaces the old Vega rocket\u2019s&nbsp;solid-fueled first and second stages with wider, heavier motor casings. The third stage motor is unchanged, and the restartable liquid-fueled fourth stage has the same type of engine but carries more propellant.&nbsp;The upgraded Vega C is taller than the original Vega rocket configuration, and has a larger payload fairing provided by the Swiss company Beyond Gravity, formerly known as RUAG Space.<\/p>\n<p>The&nbsp;wider Zefiro 40 second stage on the Vega C rocket replaces the Zefiro 23 motor on the basic model of the Vega rocket, adding 50% more solid propellant and generating 293,000 pounds of thrust.<\/p>\n<p>The launch Tuesday night was the first commercial flight of Europe\u2019s upgraded Vega C rocket, following the Vega C\u2019s flawless inaugural test flight July 13.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-2\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-2&amp;features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1605383927539138561&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fspaceflightnow.com%2F2022%2F12%2F21%2Ftwo-pleiades-neo-earth-imaging-satellites-lost-in-failure-of-europes-vega-c-rocket%2F&amp;sessionId=9a9f8b43f17dfd14e5762d2f691880a4441bf351&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"1605383927539138561\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782468585684222997=\"true\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Here\u2019s the statement from St\u00e9phane Isra\u00ebl, Arianespace\u2019s CEO, confirming an \u201cunderpressure\u201d was detected on the Vega C rocket\u2019s second stage Zefiro 40 motor, causing the failure of tonight\u2019s launch with Airbus\u2019s Pl\u00e9iades Neo 5 and 6 satellites. https:\/\/t.co\/rUACF3jhhj pic.twitter.com\/9gGdpJs9OV<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Spaceflight Now (@SpaceflightNow) December 21, 2022<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Europe\u2019s Vega rocket family has now suffered three failures in 22 flights. The three failures have occurred on the Vega rocket\u2019s last eight launches, following 14 straight successful flights since the Vega launcher entered service in 2012.<\/p>\n<p>Investigators blamed a 2019 launch mishap on a \u201cthermo-structural failure\u201d on the Vega rocket\u2019s Zefiro 23 second stage. A 2020 launch failure was traced to misplaced cables on the Vega rocket\u2019s liquid-fueled upper stage, called the Attitude and Vernier Upper Module.<\/p>\n<p>The Vega rocket had amassed four straight successful launches, including the debut of the Vega C, before Tuesday night\u2019s doomed mission.<\/p>\n<p>The satellites lost on the Vega C rocket were the third and fourth spacecraft in a quartet of Airbus-built and -owned Earth observation satellites. The first two&nbsp;Pl\u00e9iades Neo satellites launched in 2021 on separate Vega rockets, but Airbus put the third and fourth spacecraft of the constellation on the same mission to take advantage of the Vega C rocket\u2019s heavier carrying capacity.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_60233\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-60233\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-60233\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/20221220z40stacking.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/20221220z40stacking.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/20221220z40stacking-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/20221220z40stacking-678x452.jpg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/20221220z40stacking-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-60233\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">File photo of stacking of a Zefiro 40 second stage motor ahead of the first Vega C launch. Credit:<br \/>ESA-Manuel Pedoussaut<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Pl\u00e9iades Neo satellites feature improvements over&nbsp;Airbus\u2019s two first-generation&nbsp;Pl\u00e9iades Earth observation satellites launched in 2011 and 2012.&nbsp;Airbus says it entirely funded the development of the&nbsp;Pl\u00e9iades Neo satellites, with intentions to sell the imagery commercially to private companies and government users. The company announced the Pl\u00e9iades Neo program in 2016, and Airbus assembled the Pl\u00e9iades Neo spacecraft at its facility in Toulouse, France.<\/p>\n<p>The four-satellite program was expected to cost Airbus about 600 million euros, or roughly $700 million. An Airbus spokesperson said Wednesday the Pl\u00e9iades Neo satellites lost in the launch failure were insured.<\/p>\n<p>The Pl\u00e9iades Neo satellites can produce optical imagery of Earth\u2019s surface with a resolution of 11.8 inches, or 30 centimeters, according to Airbus. That\u2019s good enough to resolve features such as vehicles and road markings. The first two Pl\u00e9iades satellites launched more than a decade ago have 19.6-inch, or 50-centimeter, resolution.<\/p>\n<p>Airbus has released imagery from the first two&nbsp;Pl\u00e9iades Neo satellites showcasing their capabilities, picturing lava flows from volcanic eruptions, large-scale music and sports events, and views of aircraft and rockets at airports and spaceports.<\/p>\n<p>The imaging resolution of Airbus\u2019s four&nbsp;Pl\u00e9iades Neo satellites is comparable to the resolution provided by Maxar\u2019s six-satellite WorldView Legion surveillance satellites due to begin launching next year. The companies are competitors, providing the highest-resolution Earth observation imagery on the global commercial market.<\/p>\n<p>With the help of laser inter-satellite communications links, the&nbsp;Pl\u00e9iades Neo satellites will be able to respond rapidly to tasking requests within a half-hour, according to Airbus.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_60221\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-60221\" style=\"width: 1100px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-60221\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/20221219pleiadesneo56.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1100\" height=\"778\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/20221219pleiadesneo56.jpeg 1100w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/20221219pleiadesneo56-300x212.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/20221219pleiadesneo56-678x480.jpeg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/20221219pleiadesneo56-768x543.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1100px) 100vw, 1100px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-60221\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Pl\u00e9iades Neo 5 and 6 satellites stacked one on top of the other before encapsulation inside the Vega C rocket\u2019s payload fairing. Credit: ESA\/CNES\/Arianespace\/P. Baudon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A single Pl\u00e9iades Neo&nbsp;satellite, using a new agile pointing capability enabled by control moment gyroscopes, can turn side-to-side to observe the same location every two days. Once all four satellites are in orbit, the constellation will be able to image any location on Earth twice a day.<\/p>\n<p>Each Pl\u00e9iades Neo spacecraft is designed to operate for at least 10 years.&nbsp;One&nbsp;Pl\u00e9iades Neo satellite can collect images covering an area of nearly 200,000 square miles (500,000 square kilometers) every day, Airbus says.<\/p>\n<p>The applications for Pl\u00e9iades Neo imagery include urban planning and city management, climate change assessments, and determining the impacts of pollution. The satellites can also be tasked to assess the damage from natural disasters, and the imagery also has military applications.<\/p>\n<p>The Vega C rocket aimed to deploy the Pl\u00e9iades Neo 5 and 6 satellites into a polar, or north-south, orbit about 385 miles (620 kilometers) above Earth.<\/p>\n<p>Europe\u2019s Vega rocket family is designed to carry small to medium-size satellites into orbit. Developed in partnership between Avio and the European Space Agency, the upgraded Vega C rocket is capable of hauling up to 5,070 pounds (2.3 metric tons) of payload mass to a 435-mile-high (700-kilometer) polar orbit, an increase over the 3,300-pound (1.5-metric ton) capacity of the basic model of the Vega rocket.<\/p>\n<p>ESA and the European Commission reached an agreement with Arianespace last month to launch five satellites for Europe\u2019s Copernicus Earth observing system on Vega C rockets. The new deal increased Arianespace\u2019s backlog to 15 Vega missions, including 13 Vega C missions and two more launches with the original Vega rocket configuration.<\/p>\n<p><b><i>Email the author.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>EDITOR\u2019S NOTE:&nbsp;Updated at 12 p.m. EST (1700 GMT) with details from news conference. Illustration of the Vega C rocket with its Zefiro 40 second stage firing. Credit: Arianespace The final two spacecraft in Airbus\u2019s four-satellite, 600 million-euro commercial Pl\u00e9iades Neo Earth observation fleet crashed into the Atlantic Ocean shortly after launch from French Guiana Tuesday [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11121"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11121"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11121\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}