In 2008, Vega will place into orbit its first small satellite missions. The new launch vehicle's reference capability is to carry a spacecraft weighing 1.5 tonnes into a polar orbit with an altitude of 700 kilometres, a relatively low orbit. The launcher is not able to inject large spacecraft into geostationary orbit but that is not its purpose - Ariane 5 fulfills that role. Vega is the only launcher of its class that can launch several satellites in a single mission. This new generation launcher has a very light structure, which allows a greater payload weight for any chosen orbit. Vega's maiden flight is set for 2007, launching from the repurposed ELA-1 launch pad at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The ELA-1 pad was first used by Ariane 1 over 30 years ago. The strategy behind this launcher is to offer to institutional and also commercial customers a range of possibilities that adapt performance and cost to market needs and competition.ESApod video programme

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