Vega C Successfully Completed Its Maiden Flight
13 Julho 2022 - 3:05PM
Business Wire
On its first flight, Vega C delivered in
orbit the LARES 2 scientific satellite and six research
CubeSats
The Vega C rocket has completed its inaugural flight, placing
the main payload LARES-2 – a scientific mission of the Italian
Space Agency ASI – into its planned orbit. Six additional research
CubeSats from France, Italy and Slovenia flew as secondary
payloads. The launch caps a multi-year effort by ESA, the prime
contractor Avio and industrial partners in 13 ESA member states to
build on the heritage of its predecessor, Vega.
Vega C represents a dramatic capability boost compared to Vega,
which has been flying since 2012. With the new first and second
stages and an uprated fourth stage, Vega-C increases performance
from Vega’s 1.5 t to about 2.3 tons in a reference 700 km polar
orbit.
Vega-C features a new, more powerful first stage, P120C, based
on Vega’s P80. Atop that is a new second stage, Zefiro-40, and then
the same Zefiro-9 third stage as used on Vega.
The re-ignitable upper stage is also improved. AVUM+ has
increased liquid propellant capacity, to deliver payloads to
multiple orbits depending on mission requirements and to allow for
longer operational time in space, to enable extended missions.
The P120C motor will do double service, with either two or four
units acting as strap-on boosters for Ariane 6. Sharing this
component streamlines industrial efficiency and improves
cost-effectiveness of both launchers.
Giulio Ranzo, Avio’s CEO, has commented: “This great
success is the result of the work of our people in cooperation with
ESA, ASI and CNES, and highlights once again the Avio and Italian
excellency in space technology in the European domain. The presence
of the Italian Minister for Innovation and Digital Transition
Vittorio Colao here at the flight testifies the attention and
commitment of the Italian Government, that with the National
Recovery Plan has decided to provide an additional boost to
research and innovation in a key sector for the Country and for
independent access to space. The Maiden Flight of Vega C has been
just completed, but in the coming days we will start to work to the
next one, expected by year-end: the first of 7 flights already
booked.”
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220713005783/en/
Matteo.picconeri@avio.com
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