The new solid booster P120C, which will be on the sides of new launch vehicle Ariane 6, successfully completed its second firing test on 28 January. The solid booster motor is a new European development and will also be used for the future version of the Vega launch vehicle, Vega-C.
After it was fully loaded with 142 tonnes of fuel, the 13.5 m long and 3.4 m diameter motor was ignited to simulate liftoff and the first phase of the flight. The motor burned for 135 seconds and delivered a maximum thrust of about 4650 kN.
The test was conducted at Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, and was completed with no anomalies.