|
||
|
Vega Upper Composite Passes Tests at ESTEC |
||
|
PARIS, Oct. 6, 2006/Satnews Daily/ — The European Space Agency (ESA) said on Thursday the upper composite of its new small launcher has passed its vibration tests at ESA's European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) with flying colors.
Vega's components are built and tested at various locations across Europe. The first launch is planned for the end of 2007 from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
Vega, which is being built by European industry under the leadership of ELV SpA (Italy), is a small launch vehicle designed to carry payloads in the range 300 kg to 2.5 tons into low Earth orbits. The typical reference for Vega's launch capacity is to carry 1500 kg to a 700 km-altitude polar orbit. Vega will be particularly suitable for the launch of scientific and Earth observation missions.
During the launch of a rocket, vibrations occur due to engine ignition, the thrust of the engines and the high-speed flow of air over the body of the vehicle as it accelerates through the Earth's atmosphere.
The upper composite that has just been tested is the top part of the launcher, which houses the navigation, communications and control equipment, ESA said. The payload is carried on top of the composite, protected by a streamlined fairing, or nosecone. During testing, a mechanically representative model of a real satellite was used.
In order to confirm that the upper composite will be able to withstand the vibrations that it will experience during launch, it was mounted on the 'multi-shaker' in the Test Centre at ESTEC. This electrodynamic vibration table applied accelerations to the base of the composite while around 400 accelerometers and 40 strain gauges measured the movements and forces within the structure. This confirms that the design calculations are correct, ESA said.
“The vibration tests went well and we are on schedule,” said Vega test manager Wolfgang Teichert. “We have carried out most of the tests for the final stage of the launcher.”
Recent Stories: Europe’s New Vega Launch Vehicle Second Stage Motor Roars to Life Europe’s Vega Launcher Undergoes Control System Tests ESA Sets Oct. 7 Launch of Europe’s First Polar-orbiting Weather Satellite |
||
