It seems as if there’s a rocket launch every day now that all the nations want to deploy satellites.
I happened to catch a European launch the other day. It was a little different in some ways, not so in others.
The outside of the Vega rocket. It has a face with a little French moustache. The commentators named it Sad Vega.
There are not three stages, there are four, and once the white shell drops off the interior is black, matching the satellites.
And the commentators spoke English, so I forgive myself for my surprise when the countdown began, “dix, neuf, huit…”