The European Space Agency (ESA) and Arianespace have appointed an independent inquiry commission to analyse the
reasons for the failure of Flight VV15 and ‘define measures’ needed to ensure the resumption of Vega flights, while fulfilling all requisite safety and security conditions.

This inquiry commission is being co-chaired by the Inspector General of ESA and the senior vice-president (technical and quality) of Arianespace (www.arianespace.com).

Flight VV15, which carried the FalconEye1 satellite, was the first Vega failure after 14 successful launches in a row since being introduced at the Spaceport in French Guiana in 2012.

The Vega launch vehicle lifted off as scheduled on 10 July at 10:53pm (local time). About 2min later, a ‘launcher anomaly’ occurred shortly after ignition of the second stage, leading to the premature end of the mission.

Preparations for the next Ariane 5 launch are continuing at the Spaceport.