It has been a long countdown. After 25 years, several delays and more than €700 million (US$924 million), the European low-cost rocket Vega is ready for lift-off next week.
Vega is the smallest of three rockets owned by the European Space Agency (ESA), alongside the heavy Ariane V and the intermediate Soyuz. ESA hopes that the new launcher will tap into a market for small scientific satellites, making space research affordable for institutions such as universities.
This will be a boon for the makers of cubesats. To read more, click here.