Successful Engine Test Boosts Vega C Towards Return-to-Flight
Successful Engine Test Boosts Vega C Towards Return-to-Flight
Zefiro-40 Solid Rocket Motor is Vega C Second Stage
The Zefiro-40 solid rocket motor, the second stage of the Vega C rocket, was tested on May 28 by Vega-C prime contractor Avio at its Salto di Quirra test facility in Sardinia, Italy. The motor featured an improved engine nozzle design, required to prepare for a Vega C return-to-flight by the end of 2024.
Initial post-test review indicates that the new nozzle assembly performed as expected throughout the scheduled 94 seconds burning time of the test, simulating a nominal in-flight performance
The Zefiro-40 is a 25-foot tall rocket motor, loaded with over 36 tons of solid propellant. For this test the motor was installed on its horizontal test bench. Zefiro-40 is developed and manufactured by Avio in their Colleferro factory near Rome, Italy.
A second firing test will be conducted after the summer to confirm the data collected today. Avio engineers will review the data from the first test to prepare for a second test in October that will then qualify the second stage Zefiro-40 solid rocket motor for return-to-flight by end 2024 from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
Vega C is a 115 foot high launcher with a mass at liftoff of 463,000 pounds. It can place about 5,000 pounds into a polar orbit. Vega C can accommodate a mix of cargo shapes and sizes, ranging from CubeSats as small as one kilogram up to a single large payload.