ESA Vega main engine test in Kourou (Forwarded)

ESA News
http://www.esa.int

5 December 2007

Vega main engine test in Kourou

A prototype of the P80 rocket motor, which will power the first stage of
ESA's new small launcher -- Vega, was successfully tested on 4 December at
the Guiana Space Centre, Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
Ignition occurred at 12:35 local time (15:35 UTC/GMT).

The motor delivered a mean thrust of about 190 tonnes for a nominal duration
of 111 seconds. This is roughly one third of the thrust delivered by each of
Ariane 5's solid booster stages.

More than 600 parameters were recorded during the firing test to monitor the
performance of the motor. Initial analysis confirms that the measurements
are fully in line with predictions.

Solid propellant rockets cannot be shut down once they have been ignited.
The test engine was equipped with specially designed cutters to break open
the casing and stop the test, should a malfunction have made this necessary.

Qualification for flight

The first firing of the P80 took place on 30 November 2006. This was a
qualification model and served to finalise the validation of the motor
behaviour predictions and of the chosen technologies.

The motor tested yesterday was representative of the flight configuration.
Once the data recorded during the test have been analysed and the engine has
undergone post-test inspection, this firing is expected to complete
qualification of the P80 in readiness for Vega's maiden flight, scheduled to
take place by the end of 2008.

The P80 motor is about 12 metres high and 3 metres in diameter, and is
loaded with 88 tonnes of solid propellant. Unlike previous motors of this
size, it contains a single propellant segment, instead of several segments
cast separately before being mated together.

Taking advantage of its similar dimensions, the propellant casting for the
P80 is carried out at the Guiana Propellant Plant in Kourou, in the same pit
as the 100-tonne lower segments of Ariane 5's solid boosters. However,
instead of the steel outer structure used for the Ariane boosters, the P80
has a lightweight, filament-wound composite casing. It also incorporates a
new, simplified design of igniter with a carbon fibre structure.

A new, steerable nozzle fabricated from composite material has been
developed, with a simplified architecture made up of fewer elements, to
reduce production costs. It also includes complex-formed cast metal parts
and a new thermal insulation material. The nozzle joint is more flexible
than on previous engines, allowing thrust vector control by means of
electromechanical actuators. This is an additional technological improvement
on a motor of this size, which usually needs to employ a more complex
hydraulic system.

"The first data received show that the pressure curve is following perfectly
the prediction. It is an outstanding result," said Caroline Cros, the ESA
team member responsible for P80 development, "and I congratulate the
industrial team, as well as our CNES and ASI partners, for this
achievement."

Today's test was performed on the solid booster test stand (Batiment d'Essai
d'Accelerateur a Poudre - BEAP) in Kourou, the same facility used for firing
tests on Ariane 5's solid-propellant motors. The P80 will now be
disassembled for detailed inspection. Some of its components will be
returned to Europe for examination and analysis.

"The qualification of the P80 motor is a cornerstone. It is the biggest
mono-segment, filament-wound-case solid-fuel rocket motor ever developed and
this takes us a step closer to the Vega maiden flight," said Stefano
Bianchi, ESA's Head of the Vega programme. "The programme has a tight
schedule for the maiden flight. We can proceed -- as from today -- with
increased confidence. Let's make sure we will meet the next major milestones
as scheduled."

About P80 and Vega

The P80 is being developed both as Vega's first stage and as a technology
demonstrator. The development is part of the Vega programme, managed by an
integrated project team led by ESA and involving staff from ESA, ASI - the
Italian Space Agency and CNES - the French space agency. CNES also has a
major responsibility in the management of the P80 development.

The industrial team is led by the French-Italian joint venture
Europropulsion, under delegation from Avio SpA of Italy. Among the main
industrial subcontractors involved in the P80 are SABCA of Belgium (thrust
vector control system), Snecma Propulsion Solide of France (nozzle) and APP
of the Netherlands (igniter).

ESA's Vega small satellite launcher is an all-solid-propellant, three-stage
vehicle with a liquid-fuelled injection module, developed with the support
of seven ESA Member States (Italy, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, The
Netherlands, and Sweden).

ELV SpA, a joint venture between Avio SpA and ASI, is the prime contractor
for the Vega launcher development.

Vega is designed to lift single or multiple payloads to orbits of up to 1
500 km in altitude. Its baseline payload capability is to carry 1 500 kg to
a circular, 700 km altitude, Sun-synchronous orbit. It can launch satellites
ranging in mass from 300 kg to more than 2 tonnes.

This range of performance covers the needs of multiple applications in the
fields of remote sensing, environmental monitoring, Earth science, space
science, fundamental physics and research and technology for future space
applications and systems.

Once qualified, Vega will be marketed and operated by Arianespace at the
Guiana Space Centre, as a complement to Ariane 5 and Soyuz. It will serve
the small to mid-sized satellite launch market.

[NOTE: Images supporting this release are available at
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMXE029R9F_index_1.html ]