First successful launch of the new European “Vega C” rocket, adding a new space transport to the European Space Agency | Sorae Portal to space

European Arianespace on July 13 local timeSuccessfully launched the new missile “Vega-C” for the first timeshe did. launch mission”VV21With the success of the European Space Agency (ESA), a new launch vehicle vehicle was added.

French Guiana Vega C missileGuyana Space CenterIt was launched at 10:13 local time on July 13, 2022. About two minutes and 30 seconds after launch, the first stage of the rocket separated. Also, about 4 minutes 30 seconds after launch, the second stage was successfully separated. Then, 1 hour 24 minutes after launch, a total of 7 satellites mounted on the rocket began to separate, and they were safely placed into orbit. According to the European Space Agency, the time required from launch to final combustion of the “AVUM +” (4th stage) engine was 2 hours 15 minutes.

The Vega C has a total length of approximately 34 meters, a diameter of 3.4 meters, and a weight of 210 tons.Four-stage missilehe is. The first stage “p 120In the second stageZefiro-40In the third stageZefiro-9“They all use solid fuel. Stage four”Grandpa +“It uses liquid fuel that can re-ignite the engine, and it is possible to deliver the loaded payload to the correct orbit. In addition, by lowering the altitude and re-entering the atmosphere after the process is complete, the mission can be completed without leaving space debris in outer space.

[صاروخ Vega C (من وكالة الفضاء الأوروبية) ينتظر إطلاقه على منصة الإطلاق]

The Vega C rocket made its first flight in 2012The successor to the Vega missileDeveloped as . The ability to launch into a polar orbit at an altitude of 700 km is 1.5 tons for the Vega missile,The weight of the Vega C missile is 2.3 tonsIncreasing. The total length is also about 5 meters longer than the Vega missile.

The first stage “P120” of the Vega C will also be used as a auxiliary missile for another new missile “Ariane 6” (2 or 4 depending on the configuration). According to the European Space Agency, the combined equipment will improve industrial efficiency and cost effectiveness.

In addition, the structure that holds and protects the satellites doubles the payload size, enabling simultaneous (dual launch) and ride-sharing missions for satellites larger than the Vega rocket and two satellites. The Vega C rocket is a reusable spacecraft scheduled for launch in 2023.Space RiderIt will also be used as a launching machine.

[▲ تخيل المركبة الفضائية غير المأهولة القابلة لإعادة الاستخدام “Space Rider” (Credit: ESA-Jacky Huart)]

The satellite installed on the first launch of the Vega C rocket belongs to the Italian Space Agency (ASI)”Lares-2“When6 microsatellite (cubesat)he is.

LARES-2 is a satellite that measures the frame drag effect (distortion of spacetime caused by the rotation of celestial bodies). The previous generation of LARES-2, “LARES”, was launched on the first flight of the “Vega” missile in 2012.

[وصل “LARES-2” (من وكالة الفضاء الأوروبية) إلى مركز غويانا الفضائي]

The six composite satellites are as follows.

• AstroBio CubeSat (Italy): Tests of techniques for detecting biomolecules in outer space.
• Greencube (Italy): Experiments for growing plants under microgravity conditions.
• Alpha (Italy): The goal is to understand phenomena related to the Earth’s magnetosphere such as the aurora borealis.
• Trisat-R (Slovenia) / MTCube-2 (France) / Celesta (France): Study of the effects of the radiation environment on electronic systems.

Related articles:The new European missile “Vega C” is scheduled to fly for the first time on July 7.

source

• image credit: ESA
• ESA – Vega-C successfully completes its inaugural flight
• ESA – Vega C Media Kit

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