Europe’s new Vega C medium-lift rocket lifted off on its maiden flight July 13 from French Guiana, carrying an Italian physics satellite and six cubesats.
Key highlights
- Vega C is a four-stage rocket.
- Italy’s 295-kilogram Laser Relativity Satellite-2, or LARES-2, is the primary payload and was placed in an unusual inclined orbit at 5,893 kilometers to test Einstein’s theory of General Relativity.
About Vega C
- Vega C has more powerful rocket motors and a larger payload volume than Vega, which is retiring after first launching a decade ago.
- Vega-C is an enhancement of the old Vega vehicle introduced in 2012.
- The upgraded rocket can carry about 2.3 metric tons to a reference 700-kilometer altitude polar orbit, compared with 1.5 metric tons for its predecessor.
- Both the earlier Vega and Vega-C use an upper-stage engine made in Ukraine. This has been the topic of much discussion because of the war in the east European nation.
- The concern has been whether the conflict might interrupt the supply of these RD-843 motors, produced by Yuzhmash, Ukraine’s state-owned aerospace manufacturer.
- But Avio, the Italian firm responsible for assembling Vega Both the earlier Vega and Vega-C use an upper-stage engine made in Ukraine. This has been the topic of much discussion because of the war in the east European nation.
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