Vega C
European small-lift launch vehicle / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vega C, or Vega Consolidation, is an expendable small-lift launch vehicle operated by Arianespace and developed and produced by Avio. It is an evolution of the original Vega launcher, designed to offer greater launch performance and flexibility. Development began after the December 2014 ESA Ministerial Council to address the need to accommodate larger institutional payloads and compete with more affordable launch providers.[1]
Model of Vega C at Paris Air Show 2015 | |
Function | Small-lift launch vehicle |
---|---|
Manufacturer | Avio |
Country of origin | European multi-national[lower-alpha 1] |
Size | |
Height | 34.8 m (114 ft) |
Diameter | 3.4 m (11 ft) |
Mass | 210,000 kg (460,000 lb) |
Stages | 4 |
Capacity | |
Payload to SSO | |
Altitude | 400 km (250 mi) |
Mass | 2,450 kg (5,400 lb) |
Payload to polar orbit | |
Altitude | 500 km (310 mi) |
Orbital inclination | 88° |
Mass | 2,250 kg (4,960 lb) |
Payload to equatorial elliptical orbit | |
Altitude | apogee: 5,700 km (3,500 mi) perigee: 250 km (160 mi) |
Orbital inclination | 6° |
Mass | 1,700 kg (3,700 lb) |
Associated rockets | |
Family | Vega |
Comparable | |
Launch history | |
Status | Active |
Launch sites | Guiana Space Centre, ELV |
Total launches | 2 |
Success(es) | 1 |
Failure(s) | 1 (VV22) |
First flight | 13 July 2022 |
First stage – P120C | |
Height | 13.38 m (43.9 ft) |
Diameter | 3.4 m (11 ft) |
Gross mass | 155,027 kg (341,776 lb) |
Propellant mass | 141,634 kg (312,250 lb) |
Maximum thrust | 4,323 kN (972,000 lbf) |
Specific impulse | 279 s (2.74 km/s) |
Burn time | 135.7 seconds |
Propellant | HTPB / AP / Al |
Second stage – Zefiro 40 | |
Height | 8.07 m (26.5 ft) |
Diameter | 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) |
Gross mass | 40,477 kg (89,237 lb) |
Propellant mass | 36,239 kg (79,893 lb) |
Maximum thrust | 1,304 kN (293,000 lbf) |
Specific impulse | 293.5 s (2.878 km/s) |
Burn time | 92.9 seconds |
Propellant | HTPB / AP / Al |
Third stage – Zefiro 9 | |
Height | 4.12 m (13.5 ft) |
Diameter | 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in) |
Gross mass | 12,000 kg (26,000 lb) |
Propellant mass | 10,567 kg (23,296 lb) |
Maximum thrust | 317 kN (71,000 lbf) |
Specific impulse | 295.9 s (2.902 km/s) |
Burn time | 119.6 seconds |
Propellant | HTPB / AP / Al |
Fourth stage – AVUM+ | |
Height | 2.04 m (6 ft 8 in) |
Diameter | 2.18 m (7 ft 2 in) |
Empty mass | 698 kg (1,539 lb) |
Propellant mass | 492 kg (1,085 lb) of N2O4, 248 kg (547 lb) of UDMH |
Powered by | 1 × MEA |
Maximum thrust | 2.42 kN (540 lbf) |
Specific impulse | 315.8 s (3.097 km/s) |
Burn time | Up to 924.8 seconds (up to five burns)[lower-alpha 2] |
Propellant | UDMH / N2O4 |
Like its predecessor, Vega C is designed to launch small satellites for scientific and Earth observation missions to polar and low Earth orbits.[2] The reference Vega C mission is a polar orbit bringing a spacecraft of 2,300 kilograms (5,100 lb) to an altitude of 700 kilometres (430 mi), an increase of 800 kg (1,800 lb) over the original. The rocket, named after Vega, the brightest star in the constellation Lyra,[3] is a single-body launcher (no strap-on boosters) with three solid and one liquid stage. The lead manufacturer to the Vega program is from Italy, but the rocket has significant contributions from companies based in Belgium, France, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and Ukraine.
The Vega C incorporates several key improvements over the original Vega. The first-stage motor is replaced by the more potent P120C, a shared propulsion system with the Ariane 6 launcher. The second stage is the more powerful Zefiro 40, while the AVUM+ upper stage has more propellant than the original. The Zefiro 9 third stage remains unchanged.[4]
Vega rockets are launched from the ELV launch pad at the Guiana Space Centre. Vega C's maiden flight on 13 July 2022 successfully delivered LARES 2 and six other satellites to orbit.[5] However, the second launch on 21 December 2022 experienced a failure of the Zefiro 40 second stage, resulting in the loss of two Pléiades Neo Earth-imaging satellites.[6] Consequently, the next launch was delayed until late 2024 to allow for the rocket motor nozzle to be redesigned.[7]