The Vega flight VV17 rocket on the launchpad at the Guiana Space Centre prior liftoff on its failed Nov. 16 launch. Credit: ESA-CNES-Arianespace / Optique Vidéo du CSG — S Martin

WASHINGTON — An independent investigation of a Vega launch failure in November confirmed that misconnected cables in the rocket’s upper stage doomed the mission and made recommendations to allow a return to flight in early 2021.

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Jeff Foust writes about space policy, commercial space, and related topics for SpaceNews. He earned a Ph.D. in planetary sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree with honors in geophysics and planetary science...