original title:European Vega-C rocket loses two satellites after launch failure
Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, December 22. The first commercial launch of the European “Vega-C” rocket failed, and the “Vega” series of rockets was grounded, which severely set back the European space program.
The “Vega-C” rocket was launched at 22:47 local time on the 20th (9:47 Beijing time on the 21st) from the Kourou Space Center in French Guiana in South America. Abnormal”, deviated from the scheduled launch trajectory, and the ground controller ordered the rocket to self-destruct. Launch service provider Arianespace of France said the wreckage of the rocket fell into the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
“We had a perfect launch five months ago, but this failure hit us hard and we had to face it,” said Stefano Bianchi, director of the European Space Agency’s “Vega” project.
Arianespace Chief Technology Officer Pierre-Yves Tissier told a news conference that the failure occurred on the rocket’s second stage. Agence France-Presse reported that the second launch of the “Vega-C” rocket was originally scheduled for November 24, but was postponed to the 20th of this month due to technical failures.
An investigative committee will investigate the cause of the failed launch and make “robust and lasting” recommendations for improvements “to ensure the safe and secure re-flight of (the rocket)”.
The European Space Agency has been developing the “Vega” rocket since 2003, and the first flight was successful in 2012. The development of the “Vega-C” rocket began in 2014, and 13 countries including Italy and France participated in it. The “Vega-C” rocket is a four-stage rocket. The first three stages use solid fuel, and the fourth stage uses liquid fuel, which can be ignited multiple times. It has a total length of 34.8 meters and a launch weight of 210 tons. It can send a payload of about 2,200 kilograms into a polar orbit 700 kilometers above the ground, about 800 kilograms more than the “Vega” payload, and the launch cost is lower.
The “Vega-C” rocket successfully launched for the first time in July this year. ESA said at the time that the successful maiden flight marked the beginning of a “new era” for European rocket launches. The launch on the 20th is the second launch and the first commercial launch of this type of rocket, carrying two high-resolution earth observation satellites of the European Airbus company for networking.
At 0:16 on August 25, 2016 in Paris, France (6:16 Beijing time), an Ariane 5 rocket of the European company Arianespace was launched from the Kourou Space Center in French Guiana. , successfully put two communication satellites into orbit. This is a photo of the Ariane 5 rocket launch.Xinhua/AFP
Launches of the Vega and Vega-C rockets will be suspended until an investigation into the cause of the failure is concluded, Arianespace said. Agence France-Presse commented that for the European Space Agency seeking to become more competitive in the rapidly growing satellite launch market, the “Vega-C” launch failure is the latest setback, marking the launch of “Vega” or “Vega-C” The Rockets lost for the third time in their last nine launches.
Europe has previously relied on Ariane rockets for heavy launches, Russian rockets for medium launches and Vega for light payloads. However, after the Ukraine crisis escalated in February this year, the European Union sanctioned Russia, and Russia suspended cooperation. The next-generation Ariane 6 rocket in Europe has been unable to be put into use for a long time, and the first flight time has been postponed repeatedly, from the original schedule of 2020 to the second half of 2023. (Hui Xiaoshuang)