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Arianespace postpones Vega/SSMS launch due to storm over South Korea

Courtesy ESA

Flight VV16, the first European rideshare mission in the framework of the Small Spacecraft Mission Service (SSMS), has been postponed due to a storm track of Typhoon Maysak over the Jeju telemetry station in South Korea. The storm track – which requires that the Jeju telemetry station be protected – has led to the postponement of final preparatory operations for Vega’s Flight VV16 launch, which was scheduled for Tuesday, Arianespace said.

A new launch date will be set based on the evolution of the tropical storm’s situation over the Jeju station and its consequences. The Vega launch vehicle and its 53 satellite payloads are in stable and fully safe conditions, Arianespace said. Proposed by Arianespace in its launch catalog offerings, the SSMS is a European project.

More on the mission: https://www.arianespace.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/VV16-launchkit-EN-new.pdf

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