Not What You Meant? There are 56 definitions for Vega.

Vega (launcher)

About 2 pages (676 words)

Know this topic well? Help others and get FREE products!

Fact sheet
Vega
Vega rocket
Function	Small orbital launch vehicle
Manufacturer	ESA/ASI
Country of origin	Europe
Size
Height	30 m
Diameter	3 m
Mass	137,000 kg
Stages	4
Capacity
Payload to LEO	1,500 kg
Launch History
Status	In Development
Launch sites	ZLV (ELA-1), Centre Spatial Guyanais
Maiden flight	Planned for 2008
First Stage
Engines	1 P80
Thrust	3040 kN
Burn time	107 seconds
Fuel	Solid
Second Stage
Engines	1 Zefiro 23
Thrust	1200 kN
Burn time	71.6 seconds
Fuel	Solid
Third Stage
Engines	1 Zefiro 9
Thrust	213 kN
Burn time	117 seconds
Fuel	Solid
Fourth Stage
Engines	1 AVUM
Thrust	2.45 kN
Burn time	315.2 seconds
Fuel	UDMH/N2O4

Vega (Vettore Europeo di Generazione Avanzata, European Advanced Generation Vector) is a planned expendable launch system developed jointly by the Italian Space Agency and the European Space Agency since 1998, with the first launch planned for 2008. It is designed to launch small payloads: 300 to 2000 kg satellites for scientific and Earth observation missions to polar and low earth orbits. It is named after the star Vega. It is a single body launcher with three solid rocket stages, the P80 first stage, the Zefiro23 second stage, the Zefiro9 third stage, and a liquid rocket upper module called AVUM. The technology developed for the P80 program shall also be used for future Ariane developments. Italy is the leading contributor to the Vega program with 65%, other participants being France (12.43%), Belgium (5.63%), Spain (5%), The Netherlands (3.5%), Switzerland (1.34%) and Sweden (0.8%). The reference VEGA mission is a polar orbit bringing a spacecraft of 1,500 kilograms to an altitude of 700 kilometers.

1 First engine test
2 Future developments
3 References
4 External links

First engine test

The first full-scale test of the Vega engine took place on 4 December 2007 in Kourou. ^[1]

Future developments

The future upgraded Vega (LYRA program) has exceeded the feasibility study and is planned to have new third and fourth low cost LOX/HC stages and a new guidance system. The purpose of the program is to upgrade the polar orbit payloads to up 2,000 Kg.

	First Stage	Second Stage	Third Stage	Fourth Stage
Propulsion	P80	Zefiro 23	Zefiro 9	AVUM
Height	10.5 m	7.5 m	3.85 m	1.74 m
Diameter	3 m	1.9 m	1.9 m	1.9 m
Propellant mass	88 t	23.9 t	10.1 t	0.55 t
Thrust (max)	3040 kN	1200 kN	213 kN	2.45 kN
Nozzle expansion ratio	16	25	56	-
Burn time	107 s	71.6 s	117 s	315.2 s