# Vega flight VV16

> European space launch

**Wikidata**: [Q96271384](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q96271384)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vega_flight_VV16)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/vega-flight-vv16

## Summary
Vega flight VV16 was a successful European space launch conducted on 2020-09-03 using a Vega launch vehicle operated by Arianespace. The flight was a proof-of-concept mission for the Small Spacecraft Mission Service (SSMS PoC) and placed payloads into a Sun-synchronous orbit with a total payload mass of 752 kilograms.

## Key Facts
- Launch date: 2020-09-03.
- Operator: Arianespace.
- Launch vehicle: Vega.
- Mission name / aliases: VV16; SSMS PoC; Small Spacecraft Mission Service Proof of Concept Flight; SSMS PoC Flight.
- Mission outcome: success.
- Payload mass: 752 kilograms (total).
- Orbit delivered to: Sun-synchronous orbit.
- Launch site / start point: Ensemble de Lancement Vega.
- Sequence: follows Vega flight VV15 and is followed by Vega flight VV17.
- Has part(s): Small Spacecraft Mission Service (listed as part 1).
- Instance: Vega flight (mission number 16) and Vega (mission number 16).
- Country: France.
- Public video: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Arianespace_Flight_VV16_-_SSMS_PoC_(Pap5FALXCSc).webm
- Identifiers: wikipedia_title "Vega flight VV16"; google_knowledge_graph_id /g/11jcd7mzpb.

## FAQs
### Q: What was Vega flight VV16?
A: Vega flight VV16 was a Vega launch operated by Arianespace on 3 September 2020 that served as the Small Spacecraft Mission Service Proof of Concept (SSMS PoC) flight and delivered payloads to a Sun-synchronous orbit.

### Q: Was the mission successful?
A: Yes. The recorded mission outcome for Vega flight VV16 is success.

### Q: What did VV16 carry and how much did it weigh?
A: VV16 carried the Small Spacecraft Mission Service as its listed part (SSMS PoC) and delivered a total payload mass of 752 kilograms to Sun-synchronous orbit.

## Why It Matters
Vega flight VV16 served as a proof-of-concept demonstration for the Small Spacecraft Mission Service (SSMS), validating a mission profile for deploying small spacecraft using the European Vega launch system. As a successful flight that placed roughly 752 kg of payload into a Sun-synchronous orbit from the Ensemble de Lancement Vega, VV16 contributed operational experience for rideshare-style or multi-payload smallsat deployments under Arianespace’s Vega program. The mission occupies a defined place in the Vega flight sequence (VV16), linking the operational cadence between VV15 and VV17, and provides a documented case of using Vega to service sun-synchronous orbit payloads. For satellite operators and mission planners, VV16 demonstrates a tested launch option for small spacecraft needing sun-synchronous insertion and helps inform future utilization of the SSMS concept.

## Notable For
- Officially designated SSMS PoC: served as the Small Spacecraft Mission Service Proof of Concept flight.
- Successful insertion of 752 kg of payload into Sun-synchronous orbit on 2020-09-03.
- Operated by Arianespace using the Vega launch vehicle from Ensemble de Lancement Vega.
- Positioned in the Vega flight sequence as mission VV16, directly following VV15 and preceding VV17.
- Public mission media available (video hosted on Wikimedia Commons).

## Body

### Overview
- Vega flight VV16 is cataloged as a Vega flight (mission number 16).
- The mission is also identified by aliases: VV16, SSMS PoC, Small Spacecraft Mission Service Proof of Concept Flight, and SSMS PoC Flight.
- The mission is described as a European space launch.

### Launch details
- Launch date: 2020-09-03.
- Launch site / start point: Ensemble de Lancement Vega.
- Launch vehicle: Vega.
- Operator: Arianespace.
- Country associated with the mission: France.

### Mission purpose and payload
- Primary mission designation: Small Spacecraft Mission Service Proof of Concept (SSMS PoC).
- Has part(s): Small Spacecraft Mission Service (listed as part 1).
- Total payload mass delivered: 752 kilograms.
- Target orbit: Sun-synchronous orbit.

### Outcome and sequence
- Mission outcome: success.
- Sequence position: follows Vega flight VV15 and is followed by Vega flight VV17.

### Media and identifiers
- Public video file: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Arianespace_Flight_VV16_-_SSMS_PoC_(Pap5FALXCSc).webm
- Wikipedia title: Vega flight VV16.
- Wikimedia Commons category: Vega flight VV16.
- Google Knowledge Graph ID: /g/11jcd7mzpb.
- Sitelink count: 2.
- Wikidata description: European space launch.

### Classification
- Instance of: Vega flight (qualifier: mission number 16) and Vega (qualifier: mission number 16).

(End of entry.)

## References

1. [Source](https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/407)