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AVUM
Vega (, , ) was a European expendable small-lift launch vehicle developed by Avio and operated by Arianespace for the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). Designed to carry payloads between into low Earth and polar orbits, Vega served primarily scientific and Earth observation missions. Development of Vega began in 1998, with its maiden flight launched from the Guiana Space Centre on 13February 2012. Over the next decade, it became the eighth most launched small-lift launch vehicle history, though it struggled to compete in the commercial launch market. After initial success, two in-flight failures and rising competition from SpaceX's rideshare programs, which offered lower prices, relegated Vega to primarily serving European government agencies willing to pay more to support independent space access. The rocket took its name from Vega, the brightest star in the constellation Lyra. It featured a single-body design without strap-on boosters, co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vega C
VegaC, or Vega Consolidation, is a European expendable, small-lift launch vehicle developed and produced by Avio. It is an evolution of the original Vega launcher, designed to offer greater launch performance and flexibility. Approved for development by the European Space Agency (ESA) in December 2014, VegaC was designed to accommodate larger institutional payloads and compete effectively in the commercial launch market. Initially marketed and operated by Arianespace, the ESA decided in August 2024 to empower Avio to directly commercialize VegaC and seek non-governmental customers. This transition is anticipated to be complete by the end of 2025. VegaC, like its predecessor, is designed to launch small satellites for scientific and Earth observation missions to polar and sun-synchronous low Earth orbits. The reference VegaC mission places a spacecraft into a polar orbit, representing an or 60% increase over the original Vega. Named after Vega, the brightest star in th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
RD-843
The RD-843 is a Ukrainian single nozzle liquid propellant rocket engine. It burns a hypergolic mixture of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) fuel with dinitrogen tetroxide (N2O4) oxidizer. It is pressure-fed. It is rated for up to 5 restarts, and can gimbal up to 10 degrees in each direction. It was developed by Yuzhnoye Design Bureau for Avio and is manufactured by Yuzhmash. It uses the RD-869 thrust chamber, the old Soviet ICBM SS-18 final stage engine from which it is evolved, and which was also designed by Yuzhnoye. The RD-843 ground test campaign included 74 tests, 140 ignitions, reaching a total of 8,201 seconds, which is approximately 12 service lives on 4 engines. As of June 2020 it has been successfully used on 14 orbital launches. The Vega and Vega C uses it as the main engine on its AVUM (Attitude & Vernier Upper Module) fourth stage which it calls the MEA (short for Main Engine AVUM). See also *AVUM - The upper stage of the Vega rocket that uses the RD-843 as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sentinel-2C
Sentinel-2 is an Earth observation mission from the Copernicus Programme that acquires optical imagery at high spatial resolution (10 m to 60 m) over land and coastal waters. The mission's Sentinel-2A and Sentinel-2B satellites were joined in orbit in 2024 by a third, Sentinel-2C, and in the future by Sentinel-2D, eventually replacing the A and B satellites, respectively. The mission supports services and applications such as agricultural monitoring, emergencies management, land cover classification, and water quality. Sentinel-2 has been developed and is being operated by the European Space Agency. The satellites were manufactured by a consortium led by Airbus Defence and Space in Friedrichshafen, Germany. Overview The Sentinel-2 mission includes: * Multispectral image, Multi-spectral data with 13 bands in the Visible spectrum, visible, Infrared#Regions within the infrared, near infrared, and Infrared#Regions within the infrared, short wave infrared part of the Electromagnetic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minotaur (rocket Family)
The Minotaur is a family of United States solid-fuel launch vehicles repurposed from retired Minuteman and Peacekeeper model intercontinental ballistic missiles. Built by Northrop Grumman under the Space Force's Rocket Systems Launch Program, these vehicles are used for various space and test launch missions. The Minotaur family consists of four main variants: the Minotaur I, primarily used for launching small satellites into low Earth orbit; the Minotaur II, primarily used as a suborbital target vehicle; the Minotaur IV, a small-lift launch vehicle; and the Minotaur V, capable of reaching higher orbits, including geostationary transfer orbit and trans-lunar trajectories. Minotaur I and II are derived from the Minuteman missile, while Minotaur IV, V, and the cancelled Minotaur III are based on the Peacekeeper ICBM. Vehicles Minotaur-C (Taurus) The Taurus launch vehicle, later renamed Stephen Clark"Taurus rocket on the market with new name, upgrades" Spaceflight ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ammonium Perchlorate
Ammonium perchlorate ("AP") is an inorganic compound with the formula . It is a colorless or white solid that is soluble in water. It is a powerful oxidizer. Combined with a fuel, it can be used as a rocket propellant called ammonium perchlorate composite propellant. Its instability has involved it in accidents such as the PEPCON disaster. Production Ammonium perchlorate (AP) is produced by reaction between ammonia and perchloric acid. This process is the main outlet for the industrial production of perchloric acid. The salt also can be produced by salt metathesis reaction of ammonium salts with sodium perchlorate. This process exploits the relatively low solubility of NH4ClO4, which is about 10% of that for sodium perchlorate.Helmut Vogt, Jan Balej, John E. Bennett, Peter Wintzer, Saeed Akbar Sheikh, Patrizio Gallone "Chlorine Oxides and Chlorine Oxygen Acids" in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry 2002, Wiley-VCH. AP crystallises as colorless rhombohedra. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hydroxyl-terminated Polybutadiene
Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) is an oligomer of butadiene terminated at each end with a hydroxyl functional group. It reacts with isocyanates to form polyurethane polymers. HTPB is a translucent liquid with a color similar to wax paper and a viscosity similar to corn syrup. The properties vary because HTPB is a mixture rather than a pure compound, and it is manufactured to meet customers' specific requirements. A typical HTPB is R-45HTLO. This product consists of oligomeric units typically containing 40–50 butadiene molecules bonded together, with each end of the chain terminated with a hydroxyl Hgroup: R-45HTLO has a functionality of 2.4-2.6, which means that there is (approximately) one additional hydroxyl group located along the chain for every two oligomeric units. This provides side-to-side linkage for a stronger cured product. HTPB is usually cured by an addition reaction with di- or poly-isocyanate compounds. Uses Materials production Polyurethanes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
P80 (rocket Stage)
The P80FW is a retired solid-fuel rocket motor developed as the first stage of the Vega launch vehicle. It was developed by Europropulsion, a joint venture between Avio and ArianeGroup, for the European Space Agency (ESA). The designation "P80FW" reflected key characteristics of the motor: "P" stood for ''poudre'' (French for 'powder'), referencing its solid propellant; "80" denoted the original target of 80 tonnes of propellant (later increased to 88 tonnes); and "FW" stood for ''filament wound'', indicating the one-piece carbon-fibre composite construction of the motor casing. Prior to its retirement, it was the world's most powerful monolithic solid rocket motor. History Development of the P80 began in 2005 led by the French space agency CNES, in collaboration with the ESA and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The first static firing test was conducted at the Guiana Space Centre in November 2006, followed by qualification testing in December 2007. The P80 made its maide ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ELA-1
ELV () is a launch complex at the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana supporting launches of the Vega and Vega C rockets. It was first built in November 1971 and was previously used to support launches of the Europa, Ariane 1 and Ariane 3 rockets. History Europa (BEC) ELA-1, at the time designated BEC () was constructed as an equatorial launch site for the Europa-II rocket which was being built as part of the ELDO programme. The first launch occurred on 5 November 1971. This was the only flight of the Europa-II, which ended in failure due to a guidance problem. The launch site was mothballed, and later demolished. Ariane (ELA) When the Ariane 1 programme was started, to replace the failed ELDO programme, a new launch site was built on the site of the former BEC, re-designated as ELA (). The first Ariane 1 launch occurred on 24 December 1979. ELA was also used by Ariane 2 and Ariane 3 rockets, which first flew on 31 May 1986 and 4 August 1984 respectively. ELA wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Guiana Space Centre
The Guiana Space Centre (; CSG), also called Europe's Spaceport, is a spaceport to the northwest of Kourou in French Guiana, an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas region of France in South America. Kourou is located approximately north of the equator at a latitude of 5°. In operation since 1968, it is a suitable location for a spaceport because of its near equatorial location and open sea to the east and north. At CSG, space launches are conducted by several European private companies and government agencies working together. The CSG land itself is managed by CNES, the French national space agency. The launch infrastructure built on the CSG land is owned by the European Space Agency. The private company Arianespace operates the launches including planning missions, handling customer relationships and overseeing the team at CSG that integrates and prepares vehicles for launch. The rockets themselves are designed and produced by other companies, ArianeGroup f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
