A pioneering Earth observation satellite for Peru has made initial contact with launcher hardware as PerúSAT-1 completes its fit-check in preparation for a September 15 liftoff from French Guiana aboard an Arianespace Vega launch vehicle.

The fit-check is a regular milestone during mission preparations at Arianespace’s Spaceport launch site in French Guiana, verifying the physical matchup of a payload with the hardware that serves as its interface when integrated on the launcher. Once the step is achieved, a payload is cleared to continue the pre-launch processing.

For PerúSAT-1, this activity was performed in the Spaceport’s S3B satellite preparation facility during the weekend, following its delivery last week from Europe to French Guiana.

PerúSAT-1 is based on a compact AstroBus-S spacecraft platform produced by Airbus Defence and Space, which combines the advantages of a low-mass system with the performance of a larger Earth observation platform.

Imaging resolution of 70 cm. for Peru’s first Earth observation satellite

Ordered in 2014 by the Peruvian government for its national space agency, CONIDA, PerúSAT-1 is equipped with a revolutionary silicon carbide optical instrument system to image Earth at 70 cm. resolution, and will serve as the country’s first Earth observation satellite.

The Vega mission with PerúSAT-1 is designated Flight VV07 in Arianespace’s launcher family numbering system, signifying the light-lift vehicle’s seventh launch overall, and its first this year from Europe’s Spaceport.

So far during 2016, Arianespace has performed three successful heavy-lift Ariane 5 missions, as well as two utilizing the medium-weight Soyuz vehicle – with another Ariane 5 launch in preparation for liftoff on August 24.