Rome, 7th December 2020 - Today Arianespace and Airbus have announced the closing of the contract to launch the CO3D earth observation satellite constellation with Vega C in 2023.
Just after one month from the SSMS Maiden Mission on Vega VV16, the SSMS module that will fly on the Vega VV18, scheduled for the beginning of 2021 after the next VV17 mission in November, is already fully booked.
The test was performed at the presence of the Undersecretary of Defense Hon. Giulio Calvisi who then visited the construction site of the new SPTF industrial site for space activities in Perdasdefogu, Sardinia
Cagliari, 1st October 2020. The qualification test of the Zefiro 9 VT3 engine, an advanced version of the third stage propulsion system already in use on the Vega launcher and specifically enhanced and customized for the new Vega C, was successfully completed this morning in view of the maiden flight scheduled for 2021.
The combined test of the A1A assembly of the new Vega C launcher was held at the Guyanese Space Centre.
This system test is one of the main milestones of the Vega C development programme.
The test simulates and verifies for the first time the BIP/MG transport operations and integration of the first Vega C stage.
The carbon fiber motor, produced in Italy by Avio, will be used for the new European launchers Ariane 6 and Vega C
Kourou, 16 July 2018
• A successful test firing of 135 seconds conducted on the BEAP test bench in Kourou, French Guiana
• P120C – the largest monolithic carbon-fiber solid rocket motor (SRM) in the world – is loaded with 142 tons of propellant
• P120C will equip the boosters of both Ariane 62 and Ariane 64 and the Vega-C first stage ; 35 motors to be produced annually
IT WILL BE THE SECOND STAGE OF THE NEW EUROPEAN LAUNCHER VEGA C
Colleferro, 8 March 2018 – Four weeks of preparation, 20 skilled technicians and operators involved, over 500 measurements recorded by the sensors during the 92-second ignition, enough to burn 36 tonnes of solid propellant and generating a thrust 4 times higher than the maximum power developed by the engine of a modern passenger aircraft.
18 September 2017 – Regulus, an Avio/ArianeGroup joint venture, has completed the loading with inert propellant of the first Booster Case of the new P120C Solid Rocket Motor in French Guyana. Regulus is in charge of solid propellant manufacturing and casting for Vega and Ariane Launch Vehicles.
About 142 Tons of inert propellant have been produced and cast in the Booster Case, that was shipped this summer from Avio premises in Italy, to demonstrate and validate new manufacturing equipment, machines and process.
As regards some news published today on the media concerning an alleged agreement signed by Avio on the Vega and Vega C launchers, Avio SPA underlines that such contracts were signed by Arianespace with OHB Italia and Airbus Defence & Space to provide them with the launch service.
