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Watch a Vega Rocket Launch an Italian Earth-Observing Satellite!

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The PRISMA spacecraft will lift off atop a Vega rocket at 9:50 p.m. EDT (0150 GMT on March 22).

Encapsulated in its protective payload fairing, Italy’s PRISMA satellite is positioned atop its Vega rocket.
Encapsulated in its protective payload fairing, Italy’s PRISMA satellite is positioned atop its Vega rocket. (Image credit: ESA/CNES/Arianespace/Optique video du CSG - S. Martin)

An Italian Earth-observing satellite will take to the skies tonight (March 21), and you can watch the action live.

The PRISMA spacecraft is scheduled to launch atop an Arianespace Vega rocket from Kourou, French Guiana, at 9:50 p.m. EDT (0150 GMT on March 22). 

Watch it live at Space.com, courtesy of Arianespace, or directly via the launch provider here.

PRISMA, whose name is short for "Precursore Iperspettrale della Missione Applicativa," will be operated by Italy's national space agency. The satellite will set up shop in low-Earth orbit and make observations that aid resource management, environmental monitoring and other fields, Arianespace representatives have said.

Mike Wall's book about the search for alien life, "Out There" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), is out now. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook. 

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Mike Wall
Mike Wall
Senior Space Writer

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.