After a false start: Vega C must fly again before the end of the year Well-known US lawyer found guilty of double murder

After a failed launch in December, the new European launch vehicle Vega C will launch later this year. The head of the European space agency Esa, Josef Aschbacher, announced this in Paris on Friday. “Based on today’s expectations and the actions we need to take, we expect a Vega-C launch before the end of 2023.”

At the end of December, the first commercial launch of the Vega C into space went wrong. The rocket drifted off course from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, minutes after launch. According to Arianespace, the Zefiro-40 engine experienced a problem about two and a half minutes after launch.

The Commission of Inquiry, which presented its findings on Friday, found that unexpected excessive thermomechanical erosion had occurred on the engine’s nozzle liner. The reason for this is probably that the material used was not homogeneous enough. The Italian company Avio, the main contractor of the Vega C, assured that the manufacturer that produced the affected part had not made any other parts of the Vega C. The used material may no longer be used.

30 million euros expensive

The new material must be checked by additional tests. The whole engine will also go through a qualifying phase in the future. The investigative committee made a total of 22 recommendations that Aschbacher intends to fully implement. The project requires Esa to redistribute approximately EUR 30 million that was originally earmarked for other purposes.

The Vega C is a further development of the Vega rocket, which has been launching light satellites into space since 2012. It completed its maiden flight in July. According to Esa, the new rocket can carry about 800 kilograms more payload, is cheaper and can place payloads in orbits at different altitudes. Together with the larger Ariane 6 launcher, which is expected to go into space for the first time at the end of this year with a delay of about three years, the Vega C should make European space travel more competitive.

Big hit for European space travel

The false start was therefore a serious blow to European space travel. Aschbacher saw access to space “temporarily” endangered by the problems with the Vega C, but also by the late launch of Ariane 6 and the withdrawal of the Russian Soyuz rockets from the spaceport in Kourou. “For me, this is really a time when we need to think hard about how we can regain independent access to space for Europe,” Aschbacher said on Friday. “As ESA Director, I am determined to take clear action, strong action, to emerge stronger from this crisis.”

The false start of the Vega C at Esa also caused a stir because two flights with the Vega had already failed in recent years. At the end of January, Aschbacher said: “As of the middle of this year, we have not guaranteed Europe’s access to space with European launchers and that is a huge problem for all of us.”

Now the committee found out that the predecessor of the Vega C is not affected by the current problem. So by the end of the summer, a Vega will have to fly again for the first time, even if it now has to be subjected to stricter controls. Actually, three to four Vega C rockets should be launched this year, according to Arianespace there will now be a Vega and a Vega C. (sda)