On March 22, 2019 at 01:50 UTC the “Vega” rocket-carrier was launched from Kourou Cosmodrome in French Guiana. The rocket orbited the Italian PRISMA (Precursore Iperspettrale della Missione Applicativa) hyperspectral Earth-imaging satellite. The satellite is designed to monitor the environment, track pollution and water quality, and chart the growth of forests and crops.