The launch of the Vega C rocket was a mission which was delayed from November due to an alteration on the hardware. The launch of the 114-foot-tall rocket was due for 01:47 GMT Wednesday (8:47pm EST Tuesday).
There are four stages as part of the launch and the first stage called P120C succeeded but Zefiro 40, the second stage, failed.
The Vega C rocket was developed by the European Space Agency and is operated by Arianespace.
Arianespace tweeted: “Approximately two minutes and 27 seconds after liftoff an anomaly occurred on the Zefiro 40 thus ending the Vega C mission.
“Data analyses are in progress to determine the reasons of this failure.”
Space entrepreneur Elon Musk commented: “Sorry to hear this. It is a sobering reminder of the difficulty of orbital space flight.”
The Vega C is a more powerful version of the Vega rocket which was first launched in 2012.
According to Arianespace, the new rocket can carry 2,300 kilograms of weight to a 435 mile-orbit, compared to the older version which carried only 1,500kg.
The launch which was set to complete Airbus’ Pléiades Neo Earth-imaging constellation saw two spacecraft lost.
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Arianespace added: “Smaller, lighter, more agile, accurate and reactive than the competition, they are the first of their class whose capacity will be fully commercially available.”
The Vega C previously had a successful launch in July 2022 when it carried a 295kg satellite.
Arianespace is set to hold a media teleconference on Wednesday at 15:00 GMT to discuss the findings of their analysis of the failure.