Vega Rocket Launches Earth-Watching PRISMA Satellite for Italy

A European Vega rocket carried a new Earth-observation satellite into orbit for the Italian Space Agency late Thursday (March 21), lighting up the nighttime sky over its French Guiana launch site.  

The PRISMA Earth observation satellite lifted off at 9:50 p.m. EDT (0150  March 22 GMT) from the South America's Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana.  The satellite will operate in a sun-synchronous orbit, meaning that it circles the Earth in such a way that the sun is always in the same position as the satellite takes pictures of the planet below.

PRISMA (an Italian acronym for Hyperspectral Precursor of the Application Mission) is designed to provide information about environmental monitoring, resources management, pollution and crop health. The satellite includes a medium resolution camera that can view across all visual wavelengths, as well as a hyperspectral imager that can capture a wider range of wavelengths between 400 and 2500 nanometers.

Related: Europe's Small Vega Rocket in Pictures

An Arianespace Vega rocket carrying the PRISMA Earth-observation satellite lifts off from Kourou, French Guiana, on March 21, 2019.

An Arianespace Vega rocket carrying the PRISMA Earth-observation satellite lifts off from Kourou, French Guiana, on March 21, 2019. (Image credit: Arianespace)

"The mission can provide a unique contribution to the observations of natural resources and in the study of key environmental processes, such as interaction between atmosphere, biosphere and hydrosphere, observation of global climate change and effects of human activities ecosystems," said the Italian Space Agency in a 2017 statement announcing the mission.

PRISMA was designed and manufactured by an Italian consortium led by OHB ITALIA SpA and LEONARDO SpA. This is the third Vega mission of 2019 and the 14th since the launcher began operations at Guiana in 2012, Arianespace said in a statement.

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Elizabeth Howell
Staff Writer, Spaceflight

Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years before joining full-time. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House and Office of the Vice-President of the United States, an exclusive conversation with aspiring space tourist (and NSYNC bassist) Lance Bass, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, "Why Am I Taller?", is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and a Bachelor of History from Canada's Athabasca University. Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science at several institutions since 2015; her experience includes developing and teaching an astronomy course at Canada's Algonquin College (with Indigenous content as well) to more than 1,000 students since 2020. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday. Mastodon: https://qoto.org/@howellspace