ESA Fires Away With P80 For Vega

Tested at the Guiana Space Center, Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, was the P80 rocket motor. This motor will power the first stage of the European Space Agency‘s (ESA) Vega small launcher. The test occured on December 4th. A mean thrust of about 190 tons was delivered for a nominal duration of 111 seconds, approximately one-third of the thrust delivered by each of the Ariane 5’s solid booster stages.




During the firing test, more than 600 parameters were recorded as the motor’s performance was monitored. The intial analysis confirms all measurements are in line with predictions. As solid propellant rockets cannot be shut down once ignited, the test engine was equipped with specially designed cutters to break open the casing and halt the test, should a malfunction have occurred. The Vega’s maiden flight is scheduled to occur by the close of 2008. And, once qualified, the Vega will be marketed and operated by Arianespace as a complement to Ariane 5 and Soyuz and will serve the small to mid-sized satellite launch market.