Space
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A commission of inquiry mandated by the European Space Agency has identified the defective part which caused the loss of the light launcher in December. The Italian rocket manufacturer promises to make Vega-C a reliable launcher, regain customer confidence and get out of the crisis.
A carbon part that was not homogeneous enough when it left the factory, passed under the radar of conformity tests… and on arrival, a rocket that exploded, precipitating into the ocean the two satellites it was to put into orbit. We now know the chain of events that caused the loss of the European launcher Vega-C on December 21, for its very first commercial flight. The conclusions of an independent commission of inquiry were made public this Friday morning by the European Space Agency (ESA). The defective part of the small rocket is now prohibited from flight and has already been replaced by another proven component. It will be necessary to go through a new phase of tests for this patched-up Vega-C and if all goes well, the ESA hopes to return to flight before the end of 2023.
“Lack of homogeneity”
What happened in detail? At the end of December, the VV22 mission was to send two Earth observation satellites, the Pléiades Neo No. 5 and No. 6, into orbit. Everything was looking good because the brand new Vega-C – a more powerful evolution of the rocket European Vega –, had successfully completed its maiden flight during the summer. She could therefore phase