Softpedia: European Space Agency Has Its Hands Full This Year - At least five critical launches are scheduled for 2009 - by Tudor Vieru

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European Space Agency Has Its Hands Full This Year - At least five critical launches are scheduled for 2009 - by Tudor Vieru

The European Space Agency (ESA) has big plans for 2009, its boss Jean-Jacques Dordain announced at a briefing in Paris on Wednesday. Among the most impressive plans that Dordain presented at the conference there's the launch of the Herschel and Planck telescopes, the maiden flight of the Vega carrier system, and the beginning of Soyuz-powered space flights, from ESA's spaceport in French Guyana. Also, three new satellites will be launched, whose missions are critical for gaining a better understanding of the way ecosystems on Earth work.

"Last year was really an outstanding vintage. But there'll be no breathing space going forward," the official said. Talking about the fact that Russian-built Soyuz missiles will start launching from ESA spaceports soon, Dordain said "This will be a significant milestone in many ways. We really do need Soyuz because at least half of ESA missions are due for launch on Soyuz, whether that be scientific missions or Galileo [satellite-navigation] satellites."