Rendition of Vega C launcher. Photo: Arianespace.

Arianespace will launch the National Advanced Optical System (NAOS) mission on a Vega C or Vega rocket under the term of a turnkey contract between OHB Italia and the Luxembourg’s Directorate of Defense. The earth-observation mission will be conducted from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, in 2022.

Built by OHB Italia, NAOS will weigh approximately 600 kilograms at launch and is designed to have a nominal service life of at least 7 years once positioned in a sun-synchronous orbit at around 500 kilograms. Designed for governmental and military purposes, the high-resolution reconnaissance satellite will provide global coverage, being able to capture more than one hundred images per day.

“We are delighted to contribute to the realization of the Luxembourg Earth Observation system with our NAOS satellite. With the signature of this launch contract, we confirm Arianespace as our traditional and reliable partner for launching our satellites, after the success of OPTSAT-3000 and the upcoming PRISMA,” Roberto Aceti, Managing director at OHB Italia, said in a statement.