After a successful maiden flight in July 2022, the first commercial flight of the new European light launcher Vega C ended in failure in December.Following takeoff from the European spaceport of Kourou in French Guiana and the separation of the P120C first stage (the Ariane 6 booster), an anomaly in the Zefiro 40 second stage led to the loss of the mission.
The VV22 mission (22e flight of a Vega launcher) was to place the pair of Pléiades Neo 5 and 6 Earth observation satellites into orbit on behalf of Airbus Defense and Space.These lost satellites were to make it possible to image points on the globe several times a day, with a resolution of 30 cm.
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I’failure was painful for the European Space Agency (ESA), in the context of fierce competition with SpaceX in particular, the delay with Ariane 6, the withdrawal of Ariane 5 for this year and while the Russian Soyuz launchers can no longer be used .
A part produced in Ukraine did not withstand the stresses
Today, ESA communicates on the conclusions of the Independent Commission of Inquiry concerning the loss of the Vega C VV22 mission.The first elements pointed towards a gradual deterioration of the Zefiro 40 nozzle.
” The Commission confirmed that the cause was an unexpected thermomechanical over-erosion of the carbon/carbon composite constituting thenozzle neck insertpurchased by Avio (note: Italian prime contractor for Vega launchers) in Ukraine. “
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A lack of homogeneity of the material used for the part is pointed out.This specific composite material is now forbidden to fly, but the design of the Zefiro 40 is not questioned.One solution is another carbon/carbon material for the next Zefiro 40 nozzle necks. Avio will turn to ArianeGroup, as in the past.
Return of Vega C towards the end of 2023
Arianespace still has two remaining Vega launchers (the previous, less muscular version of Vega C) and will reassign a mission there for a launch before the end of next summer.What help a little to plug the holes of European access to space.
The Vega launcher relies on a Zefiro 23 propellant as the second stage and not Zefiro 40. The Zefiro 9 third stage is on the other hand common to Vega and Vega C (C for consolidation).
The Independent Commission of Inquiry has identified the causes of the loss of #VV22.A working group led by ESA and Arianespace will carefully monitor the implementation of actions by Avio to ensure the reliability of the return to flight of #VegaC ? https://t.co/MIIKDd2sEZ
— ESA France (@ESA_fr) March 3, 2023
For the Vega-C launcher, the return to the launch pad with a view to a launch is expected towards the end of this year.