Vega launcher powered by Ukrainian engine delivers satellites to Earth orbit

On Wednesday, August 2, the Vega launch vehicle with a Ukrainian cruise engine for its fourth stage was successfully launched.

The rocket was launched from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana at 04:58 Kyiv time, the press service of the State Space Agency of Ukraine reports.

"On August 2, 2017, European Vega light launcher was successfully launched from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana at 04:58 Kyiv time. The cruise engine RD-843 for the launcher’s fourth stage was designed by the M.K. Yanhel Yuzhnoye (Pivdenne) Design Bureau and produced by the A.M. Makarov Yuzhmash (Pivdenmash) Plant," the statement reads.

The Vega launcher successfully delivered the Italian reconnaissance satellite OPTSAT-3000 and the French-Israeli satellite Venμs of the European Remote Sensing Satellite Copernicus to the sun-synchronous orbit.

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