Kourou

A new Hellas Sat satellite was successfully launched last week, strengthening Greece's presence in space at a time when the country is exploring economic benefits in all sectors after experiencing an acute debt crisis.

The European Space Agency (ESA) said it had launched on Feb. 11 a prototype craft designed to return to Earth at the end of its mission, a key goal in space strategy.
      
A Vega rocket lifted off from ESA's base in Kourou, French Guiana at 1340 GMT bearing the novel craft, the Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV), ESA said in a webcast.