European Rocket Vega C Fails on Second-Ever Mission

A European rocket failed shortly after its lift-off Tuesday due to an “anomaly” during the second stage of its launch. Arianespace confirmed the European light launcher rocket Vega-C – developed by the European Space Agency – was lost less than three minutes into the launch, with an investigation already underway. The launch took place in French Guiana with the rocket carrying two Airbus satellites onboard, with hopes the Vega-C would launch them into orbit. “The mission is lost,” Stephane Israel, head of commercial launch service provider Arianespace, said from the Kourou Space Center in French Guiana. The launch was supposed to mark the first commercial flight of the rocket after an inaugural launch in July was successful. SpaceX Founder Elon Musk also weighed in on Twitter, posting: “Sorry to hear this. It is a sobering reminder of the difficulty of orbital space flight.”