![Vega-C rocket lost shortly after lift-off in French Guiana](https://www.americanmarconiwirelessnews.com/media/shared/articles/77/18/51/Vega-C-rocket-lost-shortly-after-li-671114.jpg)
-
Hungry Sabalenka ready for more Slam success
-
Mass jailbreak in Mozambique amid post-election unrest
-
Azerbaijani jet crashes in Kazakhstan, killing 38
-
Bridges outduels Wembanyama as Knicks beat Spurs
-
2004 Indian Ocean tsunami: what to know 20 years on
-
Asia to mourn tsunami dead with ceremonies 20 years on
-
Syrians protest after video of attack on Alawite shrine
-
Russian state owner says cargo ship blast was 'terrorist attack'
-
38 dead as Azerbaijani jet crashes in Kazakhstan
-
Crisis-hit Valencia hire West Brom's Corberan as new boss
-
Suriname ex-dictator and fugitive Desi Bouterse dead at 79
-
35 feared dead as Azerbaijani jet crashes in Kazakhstan
-
Pope calls for 'arms to be silenced' in Christmas appeal
-
Syria authorities say torched 1 million captagon pills
-
Pope calls for 'arms to be silenced' across world
-
32 survivors as Azerbaijani jet crashes in Kazakhstan
-
Pakistan air strikes kill 46 in Afghanistan, Kabul says
-
Liverpool host Foxes, Arsenal prepare for life without Saka
-
Japan FM raises 'serious concerns' over China military buildup
-
Pope's sombre message in Christmas under shadow of war
-
Zelensky condemns Russian 'inhumane' Christmas attack on energy grid
-
Sweeping Vietnam internet law comes into force
-
Pope kicks off Christmas under shadow of war
-
Catholics hold muted Christmas mass in Indonesia's Sharia stronghold
-
Japan's top diplomat in China to address 'challenges'
-
Thousands attend Christmas charity dinner in Buenos Aires
-
Demand for Japanese content booms post 'Shogun'
-
As India's Bollywood shifts, stars and snappers click
-
Mystery drones won't interfere with Santa's work: US tracker
-
Djokovic eyes more Slam glory as Swiatek returns under doping cloud
-
Australia's in-form Head confirmed fit for Boxing Day Test
-
Brazilian midfielder Oscar returns to Sao Paulo
-
'Wemby' and 'Ant-Man' to make NBA Christmas debuts
-
US agency focused on foreign disinformation shuts down
-
On Christmas Eve, Pope Francis launches holy Jubilee year
-
'Like a dream': AFP photographer's return to Syria
-
Chiefs seek top seed in holiday test for playoff-bound NFL teams
-
Panamanians protest 'public enemy' Trump's canal threat
-
Cyclone death toll in Mayotte rises to 39
-
Ecuador vice president says Noboa seeking her 'banishment'
-
Leicester boss Van Nistelrooy aware of 'bigger picture' as Liverpool await
-
Syria authorities say armed groups have agreed to disband
-
Maresca expects Man City to be in title hunt as he downplays Chelsea's chancs
-
Man Utd boss Amorim vows to stay on course despite Rashford row
-
South Africa opt for all-pace attack against Pakistan
-
Guardiola adamant Man City slump not all about Haaland
-
Global stocks mostly higher in thin pre-Christmas trade
-
Bethlehem marks sombre Christmas under shadow of war
-
NASA probe makes closest ever pass by the Sun
-
11 killed in blast at Turkey explosives plant
![Vega-C rocket lost shortly after lift-off in French Guiana](https://www.americanmarconiwirelessnews.com/media/shared/articles/77/18/51/Vega-C-rocket-lost-shortly-after-li-671114.jpg)
Vega-C rocket lost shortly after lift-off in French Guiana
The European Vega-C rocket was lost shortly after lift-off from French Guiana on Tuesday with two Airbus satellites on board, the company behind the launch said.
The rocket had been trying to bring into orbit two Earth observation satellites built by Airbus, intended to join an existing network capable of capturing high-quality images of any point on the globe several times a day.
If it had been successful, it would have been the first commercial launch of the rocket since its inaugural journey on July 13.
"The mission is lost," Stephane Israel, head of commercial launch service provider Arianespace, said from the Kourou Space Center in French Guiana.
Ten minutes after liftoff, at 10:47 pm (0147 GMT), the launcher's trajectory deviated from its programmed route and communications were lost, it said.
An "anomaly occurred" in the second stage of the launcher, "ending the Vega-C mission", the company said in a statement.
"Data analysis is under way to determine the reasons for this failure," it added.
Arianespace found there was no debris fallout after liftoff.
Originally scheduled for November 24, the flight was postponed for a month due to a faulty launch element.
A press briefing is scheduled for noon on Wednesday in Kourou.
- Major setback -
The Vega-C is billed as the precursor to the future Ariane 6, which the European Space Agency (ESA) hopes will enable Europe to become more competitive in the rapidly expanding satellite market.
Tuesday's failure is a major setback for the ESA, which has 22 member states and is responsible for European launcher programmes.
Global competition in the market has intensified in recent years, with Elon Musk's SpaceX taking a giant lead.
European hopes have been pinned on the Ariane 6 rocket, but the postponement to the end of 2023 of the inaugural flight, which had been initially planned for 2020, has dashed the ESA's expectations.
Europe's space sector has been further weakened by the invasion of Ukraine, which put an end to its cooperation with Russia.
In response to sanctions imposed on Moscow by the European Union, Russia suspended space launches from French Guiana and withdrew its technical personnel.
In the absence of an alternative, ESA has been forced to turn to SpaceX to launch two scientific missions.
The Vega-C launch on Tuesday was the fifth and final launch of the year at Kourou's spaceport.
D.Kaufman--AMWN