Vega flight VV04


Vega flight VV04 is the space launch of the IXV experimental re-entry vehicle by the Vega rocket.

Payload

The flight was a single-payload mission that put the IXV prototype spaceplane into sub-orbital spaceflight. The total payload mass was approximately, including the spacecraft and its adapter.

IXV

The Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle was long, high, and wide. It had a lift-off mass of approximately, and was the only payload of the flight.
IXV was designed and manufactured by a consortium led by Thales Alenia Space.

Mission description

Launch time and location

The launch was initially foreseen for but was postponed to allow further analyses of the flight path.
The successful Vega flight finally took place on at 13:40:00UTC from the ELV launch pad at the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana.

Orbit

The sub-orbital flight was planned to last about 100 minutes from lift-off until splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, near coordinate.

Statistics

The mission was the launch of the Vega launcher, and the Arianespace mission.