# Arianespace launch Morocco’s second earth observation satellite, Mohammed VI-B

- Link: https://www.military.africa/2018/12/arianespace-launch-moroccos-second-earth-observation-satellite-mohammed-vi-b/
- Published: 2018-12-26T22:21:03+01:00
- Author: Darek Liam

Arianespace launched a rocket from French Guiana carrying Morocco’s second earth
observation satellite, the European launch company said.

The satellite, named Mohammed VI-B, was developed by Thales Alenia Space and Airbus,
Arianespace said in a statement.

It will be mainly used for mapping, land surveying, agricultural monitoring, prevention
and management of natural disasters, monitoring changes in the environment and desertification
as well as border and coastal surveillance.

Arianespace, majority-owned by a joint venture of Airbus and Safran, launched Morocco’s
first earth observation satellite, Mohammed VI-A, last November.

It will be mainly used for mapping, land surveying, agricultural monitoring, prevention
and management of natural disasters, monitoring changes in the environment and desertification
as well as border and coastal surveillance, it said.

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 * ![](https://www.military.africa/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/morocco-sayellite-
   2.jpg)
 * ![](https://i1.wp.com/www.military.africa/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/morocco.
   jpg?fit=727%2C1024&ssl=1)
 * ![](https://www.military.africa/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/muhammed-via-satellite-
   1.jpg)
 * MOHAMMED VI-B.

ALLAS — An Arianespace Vega rocket launched the Mohammed 6-B satellite for Morocco
the evening of Nov. 20, placing the satellite in the same orbit as its twin satellite
Mohammed 6-A that launched a year ago, also on a Vega rocket.

Liftoff occurred at 8:42 p.m. Eastern from the European spaceport in French Guiana
on the northern coast of South America. The 1,100-kilogram satellite separated from
the rocket in low Earth orbit about 55 minutes later.

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The launch completes Morocco’s two-satellite constellation for Earth observation.
The country plans to use the satellites for purposes including land mapping, natural-
disaster prevention and management, environmental monitoring and border surveillance.

The Mohammed 6-B launch is Arianespace’s ninth mission of the year and second with
the light-lift Vega rocket. Airbus Defence and Space built the satellite platform
while Thales Alenia Space supplied the payload and the ground segment for image 
processing.

Vega now has a track record of 13 launches, all of which have been successful.

Vega will not have any more missions this year due to delays earlier this year with
the European Space Agency’s wind-mapping Aeolus satellite. Giulio Ranzo, CEO of 
Avio, the manufacturer of Vega rockets, said the delay of Aeolus from March to August
pushed out a third Vega mission to next year.

“The schedule moved due to customer issues,” he said in an interview.

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Vega’s next launch will be in late January or early February for the Italian Space
Agency, Ranzo said.

Arianespace’s next launch is of an Ariane 5 rocket in December with the Indian space
agency’s GSAT-11 telecom satellite and the Korean Aerospace Research Institute’s
GEO-Kompsat-2A weather satellite.

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