A faulty engine part marred the debut of the Vega C rocket

March 3 () –

The failed launch of the first commercial mission of the European Vega-C rocket in December was due to deterioration of a key engine component which caused rapid loss of drive power.

Arianespace (the launch service provider) and the European Space Agency (ESA – the launch system development authority) presented on March 3 the results of the Independent Commission of Inquiry that they created after the failed launch on December 21in which the Pléiades Neo 5 and 6 Earth observation satellites for Airbus Defense and Space were lost.

The commission concludes that after nominal operation of the Vega-C P120C first stage and nominal ignition of the second stage (Zefiro 40), a progressive decrease in chamber pressure was observed 151 seconds after takeoff, which caused the mission loss, reported Arianespace it’s a statement.

Initial investigations, conducted immediately after launch using available flight data, confirmed that the launcher’s subsystems reacted to events as intended, and that the cause of the failure was a gradual deterioration of the nozzle of the Zefiro 40.

A PIECE ACQUIRED IN UKRAINE

More specifically, the Commission confirmed that the cause was an unexpected thermomechanical over-erosion of the carbon-carbon (CC) insert in the nozzle throat, purchased in Ukraine by Avio, the contractor dedicated to rocket propulsion. Additional investigations led to the conclusion that it was probably due to a defect in the homogeneity of the material.

The anomaly also revealed that the criteria used to accept the CC throat insert were not sufficient to demonstrate its airworthiness. Therefore, the Commission has concluded that this specific CC material it can no longer be used for flight.

THERE IS NO DESIGN PROBLEM IN THE SECOND STAGE OF THE ROCKET

On the other hand, the Commission ensures that it does not No weaknesses in the Zefiro 40 design have been revealed. Avio is applying an immediate alternative solution for the Zefiro 40 nozzle with another CC material, manufactured by ArianeGroup, which is already used for Vega’s Zefiro 23 and Zefiro 9 nozzles.

Taking into account the nature of the VV22 anomaly, the Commission underlines that its conclusions on Zefiro 40 do not affect Vega launcherwhich relies on the Zefiro 23 and Zefiro 9 engines. In this context, Arianespace decided to adapt its launch schedule to reallocate a mission to one of its two remaining Vega launchers with an expected release date before late summer 2023.