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<\/p>\nItaly\u2019s PRISMA Earth observation satellite launched aboard Arianespace\u2019s Vega rocket Thursday. Vega lifted off from its launch pad at the Centre Spatial Guyanais in Kourou, French Guiana, at 22:50:35 local time (01:50 UTC on Friday).
\nPRISMA, or Precursore Iperspettrale della Missione Applicativa, is a small hyperspectral imaging satellite that has been constructed by OHB Italia and will be operated by the Italian Space Agency, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI). The satellite, whose name translates into English as \u201chyperspectral precursor of the application mission\u201d, is intended to demonstrate the small satellite platform and its imaging payload, while also performing imaging that is useful in its own right.<\/p>\n
The PRISMA mission grew out of the Hyperspectral Satellite for Earth Observation (HypSEO) project which was canceled in the early 2000s. While the satellite is intended to serve as a prototype for future missions, it has been designed with the needs of Italy\u2019s scientific community in mind. PRISMA\u2019s images will help scientists to study the environment and aid with the monitoring of land use, natural resources, water pollution, soil mixtures and the carbon cycle.<\/p>\n
PRISMA\u2019s eponymous sensor compliment was developed by Leonardo SpA, and incorporates a hyperspectral imager which operates across 237 visible-light, near-infrared and short wave infrared bands with a spectral resolution of 12 nanometres. This can image a 30 kilometer (18.6-mile, 16.2-nautical-mile) swath of the Earth\u2019s surface at a resolution of 30 meters (98 feet).<\/p>\n
A panchromatic imager provides complimentary observations, offering a five-meter (16-foot) resolution over the same swath. Both imagers will observe the Earth via a three-mirror anastigmat telescope with a 21-centimeter (8.3-inch) aperture.<\/p>\n
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Render of the PRISMA satellite \u2013 via prisma-i.it<\/p>\n
The imaging payload aboard PRISMA accounts for about 90 kilograms (200 lb) of the satellite\u2019s 879-kilogram (1,938 lb) mass at launch. PRISMA is solar-powered through panels fixed to the spacecraft and is expected to operate for at least five years. The bespoke satellite bus is three-axis stabilized and incorporates hydrazine thrusters for on-orbit maneuvering.<\/p>\n
PRISMA will operate in a circular sun-synchronous orbit, 615 kilometers (382 miles, 332 nautical miles) above the Earth\u2019s surface and inclined at 97.8 degrees to the planet\u2019s equator.<\/p>\n
OHB Italia contracted Arianespace to launch PRISMA, using their small Vega rocket whose prime contractor is Italian aerospace firm Avio. The satellite arrived in Cayenne, French Guiana, on 11 January and was taken by road to Arianespace\u2019s launch site, the Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG) at the nearby town of Kourou.<\/p>\n
Following an initial checkout, the satellite was moved the payload preparation complex on 29 January. The satellite underwent a fit check with Vega\u2019s payload adaptor, and a series of tests on its electrical systems.<\/p>\n
Technology News (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/p>\n PRISMA was fuelled on 13 February and integrated with the payload adaptor on 19 February. Seven days later the satellite was encapsulated within Vega\u2019s payload fairing.<\/p>\n While payload preparations were underway, Arianespace began to assemble the Vega rocket on its launch pad, Zone de Lancement Vega (ZLV). Vega is stacked vertically, in place on the pad, using a mobile service tower that is then moved away from the rocket.<\/p>\n ZLV has been used for all of Vega\u2019s launches \u2013 although it was previously Ensemble de Lancement Ariane 1 (ELA-1), serving the Ariane 1, 2 and 3 rockets from 1979 to 1989. The pad also saw a single launch of a Europa II rocket in November 1971, which failed to achieve orbit.<\/p>\n Vega is a four-stage rocket which primarily uses solid rocket motors \u2013 with a small liquid-fuelled fourth stage for precise orbital insertion \u2013 to deliver satellites to low Earth orbit. Vega first flew in February 2012 and has made thirteen launches to date, all of which have been completed successfully. The rocket consists of a P80 first stage, Zefiro 23 second stage, Zefiro 9 third stage and the liquid-fuelled AVUM propulsion module as the fourth stage.<\/p>\n Vega overview \u2013 via ESA<\/p>\n For Thursday\u2019s launch assembly of the Vega \u2013 designated VV14 \u2013 began on 11 January when the rocket\u2019s first stage was transferred to the launch complex. The interstage between the first and second stages was fitted on 30 January, followed by the second and third stages \u2013 already integrated with each other \u2013 atop the stack on 1 February. Between 7 and 8 February the fourth stage, AVUM, was installed.<\/p>\n Vega\u2019s upper composite, consisting of the payload adaptor, fairing and the encapsulated PRISMA satellite, was transported to the launch pad on 28 February and attached at the top of the rocket on the following day. Following this, final preparations and integrated testing of the rocket and payload began. Storable propellants were loaded into the AVUM fourth stage and the rocket\u2019s attitude control system, a rehearsal of the countdown was conducted, and the rocket\u2019s components were armed for launch.<\/p>\n PRISMA had been scheduled to lift off on 14 February, however the launch was delayed by a week to allow for additional checks to be performed at the launch pad.<\/p>\n Thursday\u2019s final countdown began nine hours and 10 minutes before Vega was due to lift off.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/2019-03-21-042942.jpg\")
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