Europe's LISA Pathfinder fundamental physics satellite was successfully launched Dec. 3 on a mission to help prove Einstein's Theory of Relativity, but it has already demonstrated - once more -Newton's law of inertia as applied to government programs. The launch, from Europe's Guiana Space Center on the northeast coast of South America, also marked the end of the long demonstration phase for Europe's Vega small-satellite launcher, which has now posted six successes in six launch attempts. The Italian-led Vega rocket has completed its European Space Agency-financed test phase, which included multiple missions to showcase Vega's versatility.
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