Falcon Eye 1

Falcon Eye 1 was a high-resolution military reconnaissance satellite for the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces, built jointly by Airbus Defence and Space and Thales Alenia Space.

The Zefiro 23 second stage failed approximately two minutes after liftoff. Investigation identified the cause as a thermo-structural failure in the forward dome of the second stage, where super-hot combustion gases breached the structure. Vega's first launch failure, ending a run of 14 consecutive successes since the vehicle's debut in February 2012.