Europe's Arianespace launched the Vega-C rocket on Thursday, marking a return to space for the upgraded Italian launcher two years after it failed during a debut commercial mission.
Carrying the Sentinel-1C satellite into orbit for the European Union's flagship Copernicus Earth observation programme, Vega-C blasted off from its Kourou launch pad in French Guiana at 6:20 p.m. (2120 GMT), live images showed.
"Piloting is calm and the parameters on board are normal," range operations manager Jean-Frederic Alasa said at the Guiana Space Centre control room several minutes into the mission.
The launch of the small-to-medium-sized rocket is the latest step in securing Europe's access to space after the Ariane 6 heavy launcher staged an inaugural test flight in July. Ariane 6's own commercial debut has been delayed to 2025.
"An important day for Italy and for Europe. Vega C is back!" said Teodoro Valente, president of the Italian Space Agency ASI that is the main contributor to the Vega programme.
Europe has faced a series of setbacks as it faces intense competition from Elon Musk's private SpaceX launch company.
The modular Vega C is due to play a key role in Europe's access to space after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine forced the bloc to stop using Russian Soyuz vehicles.
