Vega rocket set for maiden voyage

  • Vega will lift off from a refurbished pad formerly used by the Ariane 1
  • Its four stages and satellite payload are assembled on the launch site
  • Satellites will weigh from a few 10s of kg up to a maximum of 2,500kg
  • The reference mission is a 1.5t satellite in a 700km-high polar orbit

There will inevitably be a degree of nervousness in launch control at Kourou come lift-off time. According to statistics compiled by the Ascend aerospace consultancy, 58% (11 out of 19) of new rockets since 1990 have experienced a major anomaly on their first flight.

It is for this reason that the satellites carried on Vegas maiden voyage have all been given a free ride.

Stefano Bianchi, Esas Vega programme manager, explained: Of course, we understand more about [the way rockets perform today] – we have more modellisation capability, computers, etc, but it is clear that at system level you have things you cannot test on the ground. And you have to rely on the first flight.

You do all the verification, you take all of the margins on what is unknown, but still the first flight is always a test.

Vega is a four-stage vehicle. Its first three segments burn a solid fuel. Its fourth and final stage uses liquid propellants and can be stopped and restarted several times to get a spacecraft into just the right orbit. The stage can also bring itself out of the sky – something deemed very important these days given the rising concern over space debris.