{"id":506707,"date":"2024-10-04T06:22:25","date_gmt":"2024-10-04T10:22:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/?p=506707"},"modified":"2024-10-04T06:22:27","modified_gmt":"2024-10-04T10:22:27","slug":"vega-c-ready-for-return-to-flight-after-second-motor-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/vega-c-ready-for-return-to-flight-after-second-motor-test\/","title":{"rendered":"Vega C ready for return to flight after second motor test"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON \u2014 A second successful test of a redesigned rocket motor clears the way for Europe\u2019s Vega C rocket to return to flight nearly two years after a launch failure.<\/p>

The European Space Agency said Oct. 3 that Avio, prime contractor for the Vega, successfully test-fired the Zefiro-40 motor at a company test facility in Italy. Initial analysis of data from the test show the motor performed as expected, the agency said.<\/p>

This is the second test of the redesigned Zefiro-40, which serves as the second stage of the Vega C. The motor successfully fired in a test in May for 94 seconds<\/a>. ESA did not disclose the burn time for this second test, but noted the latest test was performed at a lower pressure, as intended, resulting in a longer burn time.<\/p>

This test was the final milestone in the redesign of the Zefiro-40\u2019s nozzle, correcting a problem that caused the failure of the second Vega C launch in December 2022. Avio originally replaced the carbon-carbon material in the nozzle, but the nozzle failed in a June 2023 static-fire test, leading to a redesign of the nozzle itself.<\/p>

At a briefing in late August ahead of the final launch of the original version of Vega, Toni Tolker-Nielsen, ESA\u2019s director of space transportation, said there was \u201cvery good confidence\u201d that the second test of the Zefiro-40 would be successful based on the performance of the motor in the first test.<\/p>

He said then that the Vega C was on track to return to flight as soon as late November, a schedule that had not changed in over a year through the redesign and testing of the motor. \u201cWe\u2019ve been following a plan that was set out in the middle of last year and I\u2019m very confident that we will be able to make it with Vega C\u2019s return in the end of November,\u201d he said.<\/p>

That return-to-flight mission will carry Sentinel-1C, a radar imaging satellite that is part of the ESA\/European Commission Copernicus program of Earth science spacecraft.<\/p>

Vega C\u2019s return comes as Arianespace, the launch services provider, transitions the vehicle to Avio. Arianespace will remain responsible for the operations of the next five Vega C flights, scheduled through the end of 2025, at which point Avio will take over. Avio is already handling sales and marketing of the rocket, a role previously held by Arianespace.<\/p>

St\u00e9phane Isra\u00ebl, chief executive of Arianespace, dubbed this transition \u201cVexit\u201d during a Sept. 16 briefing held in conjunction with World Space Business Week in Paris. One complication is that Vega launch contracts Arianespace signed for missions beyond 2025 will need to be transferred to Avio with the agreement of the customer.<\/p>

\u201cWe cannot make a forced transfer,\u201d he said, as customer must voluntarily agree to the change. That creates the risk commercial customers could instead seek to jump to a competitor. But, he added, \u201cwe are very confident they will accept.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A second successful test of a redesigned rocket motor clears the way for Europe\u2019s Vega C rocket to return to flight nearly two years after a launch failure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10940,"featured_media":506709,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"mc4wp_mailchimp_campaign":[],"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4150,4161],"tags":[806,1662,789,1939],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[544],"class_list":["post-506707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-launch-archive","category-news-archive","tag-arianespace","tag-avio","tag-esa","tag-vega-c","entry"],"yoast_head":"\nVega C ready for return to flight after second motor test - 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