Arianespace has successfully launched The PRISMA Earth observation satellite for the Italian Space Agency. The satellite was the 600th successfully deployed by the French launch provider since its founding in 1980
The PRISMA satellite was launched aboard an Italian-built Vega rocket from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana at 01:50 UTC on March 22, 2019. Approximately 54 minutes after liftoff, the rocket’s upper stage deployed the 953-kilogram (2,100-pound) satellite into a Sun-synchronous low Earth orbit.
With the deployment of the PRISMA satellite, Arianespace completed its third mission of 2019 and succeeded in orbiting its 600th payload.
“With today’s successful launch of the PRISMA Earth observation satellite, Arianespace has orbited its 600th satellite,” Arianespace CEO Stéphane Israël. “We are very proud to continue performing our primary vocation of ensuring independent access to space for Europe, with a focus this evening on Italy.
Arianespace launched their first mission on December 24, 1979, aboard an Ariane 1 rocket. The launch deployed the CAT-1 satellite, Europe’s first artificial Earth satellite. Since then, the launch provider has flown a total of 108 missions.
The PRecursore IperSpettrale della Missione Applicativa (PRISMA) satellite is a pre-operational technology demonstrator that is focused on the development of Hyperspectral imaging. It was built by Leonardo S.p.A and OHB Italia from the Italian Space Agency and is expected to remain operational for 5 years.
http://www.arianespace.com/press-release/arianespace-orbits-600th-satellite-the-prisma-earth-observation-satellite-for-the-italian-space-agency/
