ESA’s Cubesats Readied For Inaugural Launch of Vega

ESA Cubs delivered for first Vega flight

“The first CubeSats to be sponsored by ESA’s Education Office have been delivered to the agency’s Space Technology and Research Centre (ESTEC) in the Netherlands. The ESA CubeSat programme began on 28 May 2007, when Antonio Fabrizi, the Director of Launchers, and Rene Oosterlinck, the Director of Legal Affairs and External Relations, signed an agreement to include an educational payload on the maiden flight of the Vega launch vehicle. The announcement of opportunity issued by ESA’s Education Office in February 2008 offered the possibility of launching up to nine university CubeSats free-of-charge on Europe’s newest launcher.”