Vega C, success and unknowns for the Avio launcher
The qualification launch of the new Vega-C carrier has started with the scientific satellite of the Italian Space Agency (ASI), Lares2, on board. Meanwhile, options are being sought to operate the upper stage of the European launcher
Success for the maiden flight of Vega C, the updated version of the European Vega launcher.
The mission started from the European launch base of Kourou (in French Guiana). The testing of Vega C takes place with the twenty-first launch of Vega (VV21) and will bring the scientific satellite of Asi Lares-2 into orbit. Exactly ten years after Vega's first flight, the same scenario occurs again with the launcher, Vega, and payload, the Lares satellite. Today's is a launch with a strong Italian identity. As the widespread note explains, it sees the Italian Space Agency (ASI) in a triple role: in the launcher, in the first passenger and in the secondary cargo. ASI is the main ESA contributor for the development of the Vega launcher built by Avio in the Italian plants of Colleferro.
The new launcher is an update to Vega: a C version, which stands for Consolidation, with a new solid fuel engine (which provides exceptional take-off thrust without the difficulties of handling liquid propellant) and an increased load capacity of the 50% compared to the predecessor (2,200 kilograms in all).
Prior to today's launch, the European Space Agency began studying options for the Vega C upper stage engine.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has created uncertainty about the Vega C launch schedule. The Avum upper stage of the rocket uses an engine manufactured by the Ukrainian company Yuzhmash. In the spring, European officials acknowledged that they were looking into options if they were having difficulty finding those engines.
"We are doing everything to avoid any interruption in the launches of Vega" had declared the ESA.
All the details.
WHAT IS THE LARES SATELLITE2
The VegaC rocket has started and will put an ESA satellite produced in Italy into orbit. Lares2 (LAser RElativity Satellite 2) by Asi was conceived and designed by the scientific team of the Fermi Center and La Sapienza University of Rome and built by the National Institute of Nuclear Physics (Infn). It is a passive satellite with a spherical shape made of high density nickel alloy (424 mm in diameter and 300 kg in mass), on which 303 CCR retroreflectors have been installed making it a perfect reflective target for the Ilrs (International Laser Ranging Service).
THE TARGET
Thanks to laser measurements, its orbit will be traced with great accuracy. Lares2 will allow to experimentally verify some relativistic aspects theoretically predicted by Einstein, but also to carry out measurements in the context of space geodesy through the ASI Space Center in Matera.
DEVELOPED BY OHB ITALIA
The Lares2 System was developed by OHB Italia, under the guidance and coordination of the Italian Space Agency.
THE MISSION OF VEGA C
For its maiden flight, Vega-C will release into orbit six cubesats selected by ESA and made by European universities and research centers, including the Italians Astrobio (created by Inaf, Sapienza University of Rome and the Sapienza School of Aerospace Engineering ); a cubesat that houses a miniaturized laboratory based on an innovative technology that will autonomously perform bioanalytical experiments in space, with a number of potential applications in both human and robotic planetary exploration missions; GreenCube (created by Sapienza University of Rome), promoted and guided in development by ASI, and Alpha by ArcaDynamics. The other three cubesats are: Trisat-R of the University of Maribor (Slovenia) and MTCube-2 and Celesta both of the University of Montpellier (France).
UPDATES COMPARED TO VEGA
The new Vega-C generation increases the performance and competitiveness of its predecessor Vega with a P120C first stage in common with Ariane 6, a Zefiro 40 second stage and a significantly enhanced Avum + fourth stage.
The modifications also allow Vega C to release the loads on different orbits: the last stage has in fact the ability to carry out seven restarts, which translate into the possibility of positioning the satellites in three different orbits and then directing the final stage. in a re-entry orbit, so that it burns in the atmosphere without leaving debris.
TOWARDS THE REPLACEMENT OF THE AVUM MODULE MOTOR?
But as mentioned at the beginning, the war in Ukraine created the unknown for the engines produced in the country for the Avum module.
“We have a stock of engines in Italy – underlines Stefano Bianchi, ESA flight program manager – for the medium term there are no problems. For the long term we are studying different solutions to mitigate the risk: we are accelerating the development of the evolution of Vega C, Vega E, which will have a higher stage than liquid fuel, methane and oxygen. In the event of a supply interruption, we are evaluating backup solutions. But we hope to continue the collaboration with Ukraine, because they have been very reliable partners so far ”.
In an interview in April, Josef Aschbacher, ESA's general manager, said that six engines have been delivered, sufficient for launches until 2023. The Vega C transport service is marketed by Arianespace and "the calendar from here by 2025 it is already full, with 14 flights scheduled ”Bianchi had always stressed.
THE OPTIONS
According to sources in the French newspaper La Tribune , Avio CEO Giulio Ranzo is evaluating an American engine (Aerojet) to replace the Ukrainian engine of the fourth stage of Vega C. Two other solutions mentioned two weeks ago by Avio's number one before officials of the ESA are: launch the development of a new engine in Italy or get on board an engine under development by ArianeGroup in Germany.
In the meantime, Avio is testing M10, a methane and liquid oxygen engine for the future Vega E vehicle. At the beginning of the month, the Italian company was awarded the first two contracts as part of the space industry initiatives for the implementation of the "Next Gen EU". This is 340 million euros from the NRP for the construction of two new eco-sustainable engines for access to space.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/vega-c-successo-e-incognite-per-il-lanciatore-di-avio/ on Wed, 13 Jul 2022 14:11:07 +0000.