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The Zefiro-40 solid rocket motor, the second stage of the Vega-C rocket, was tested 28 May 2024 by Vega-C prime contractor Avio at its Salto di Quirra test facility in Sardinia, Italy. The motor featured an improved engine nozzle design, required to prepare for a Vega-C return-to-flight by the end of 2024.<\/p>\n
The initial post-test review indicates that the new nozzle assembly performed as expected throughout the scheduled 94 seconds burning time of the test, simulating a nominal in-flight performance.<\/p>\n
The Zefiro-40 is a 7.6 m tall rocket motor, loaded with over 36 tonnes of solid propellant. For this test the motor was installed on its horizontal test bench. Zefiro-40 is developed and manufactured by Avio in their Colleferro factory near Rome, Italy.<\/p>\n
A second firing-test will be conducted after the summer to confirm the data collected. Avio engineers will review the data from the first test to prepare for a second test in October that will then qualify the second stage Zefiro-40 solid rocket motor for a return-to-flight by end 2024 from Europe\u2019s Spaceport in French Guiana.<\/p>\n
Vega-C is a 35-m-tall launcher with a mass at liftoff of 210 000 kg. It can place about 2300 kg into a polar orbit. Vega-C can accommodate a mix of cargo shapes and sizes, ranging from CubeSats as small as one kilogram up to a single large payload.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n