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ArianespaceVegaAriane Launch Area 1 (ELV), Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
Pléiades Neo 3
Launched
April 29, 2021
Summary
Pléiades Neo 3 launched on an Arianespace Vega from Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV), Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana on April 29, 2021. It was Arianespace's 295th launch, 3rd this year and humanity's 6,072nd orbital launch attempt. It was the 18th Vega flight and the 1st this year. The payload was bound for Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO). Pleiades Neo 3, one of 6 catalogued objects, reached a 631 × 633 km orbit inclined 97.9°. 6 objects from this launch are catalogued, all of them payloads.
- Watch
- Vega Pléiades Neo 3The Space Devs
- Flight VV18 – Pléiades Neo 3 / NorSat-3 / 4 cubesats | Vega Launch | Arianespacearianespace
- Vehicle
- Vega · Arianespace
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Government/Top Secret · Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO)
- Milestone
- 18th Vega flight · 1st this yearArianespace's 295th launch3rd this yearhumanity's 6,072nd orbital launch attempt35th orbital launch attempt this year
Webcast
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
Pleiades Neo 3 · NORAD 48268 · 2021-034 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 6 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- OBJECT A
- Object ID
- 2021-034A
- Epoch
- 2021-04-29 11:34:37 UTC
- Mean motion
- 14.81416761 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.0001425
- Inclination
- 97.8981°
- Ascending node
- 195.1529°
- Arg. of perigee
- 24.6279°
- Mean anomaly
- 335.4989°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 5
- B*
- 0
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: SSO. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile.
Catalogued objects
6 catalogued: 6 payloads; 5 still in orbit
- Pleiades Neo 3 · NORAD 48268 · in orbit
- Lemur-2-Amanda-Svante · NORAD 48269 · in orbit
- AII-Bravo · NORAD 48270 · in orbit
- ELO Alpha · NORAD 48271 · in orbit
- NorSat-3 · NORAD 48272 · in orbit
- Lemur-2-SpecialK · NORAD 48273 · re-entered August 21, 2026
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
Pléiades Neo is a constellation of four optical high-resolution Earth observation satellites built and operated by Airbus. It is a dual purpose constellation, serving both civilian and military purposes. Pléiades Neo 3 is the first satellite in the constellation which is to deliver imagery with spatial resolution of 30 cm. It is launched along with several rideshare payloads.
Pad
Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV), Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
44th launch from Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV), 1st this year · 305th from Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
56 launches from this pad · 336 from Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
162 days after the previous launch from this pad
All launches from Guiana Space Centre, French GuianaOpen in maps
Updates
Successful launch
Show 5 earlier updates
Launch date is confirmed by Arianespace.
spacevogel · 4/23/2021 · source
Launch is now planned for Apr 28
Nosu · 4/13/2021 · source
Launch is now planned for Apr 27
spacevogel · 4/8/2021 · source
The countdown on Airbus website points to a Apr 20 01:50 UTC launch time.
spacevogel · 3/31/2021 · source
Launch is NET April 22
spacevogel · 3/7/2021 · source
Questions
When did Pléiades Neo 3 launch?
Pléiades Neo 3 launched on April 29, 2021. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch Pléiades Neo 3?
Coverage: Vega Pléiades Neo 3; Flight VV18 – Pléiades Neo 3 / NorSat-3 / 4 cubesats | Vega Launch | Arianespace. Watch the replay
What rocket launched Pléiades Neo 3?
Vega, flown by Arianespace. Vega spec sheet
Where did Pléiades Neo 3 launch from?
Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV), Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana.
What orbit did Pléiades Neo 3 reach?
Pleiades Neo 3, one of 6 catalogued objects, reached a 631 × 633 km orbit inclined 97.9°.
How many satellites did Pléiades Neo 3 launch?
6 payloads from this launch are catalogued, 5 of them still in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).