.png)
Europe's Vega rocket is ready to make its maiden flight this Monday.
The 30m-tall vehicle will launch 9 satellites into orbit, the actual purpose being the testing of the machine.
"Vega gives Europe the ability to launch small satellites," says Jean-Jacques Dordain, director general, European Space Agency (Esa).
The spacecraft is expected to launch from French Guiana between 10:00 and 12:00 GMT.
The BBC reports:
"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.
"Vega gives Europe the ability to launch small satellites," says Jean-Jacques Dordain, director general, European Space Agency (Esa).
The spacecraft is expected to launch from French Guiana between 10:00 and 12:00 GMT.
The BBC reports:
"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.
A significant innovation is the way the motor cases are prepared for the first three stages employing a high-strength graphite fibre and epoxy resin.
Avio, the Italian aerospace manufacturer at the heart of the Vega project, has set up a facility where filaments of this material can be wound into the desired shape.
"The use of carbon fibre is very important and allows us to reduce cost and improve performance, because there is less weight in that ratio between the frame and the fuel," said Avio CEO Francesco Caio."
Source: BBC News
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Grace A Comment!