I think this means it's about 4 years behind its original predicted first launch date.
Prediction Date | Predicted 1st Launch | Citation |
Sep-98 | Dec-02 | http://esapub.esrin.esa.it/rfs/rfs18/CAPORICCI.pdf |
Dec-00 | Jan-05 | http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/vega_funding_001219.html |
Mar-03 | Jun-06 | http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Vega_Launcher_To_Orbit_Smaller_Payloads_In_Arianespace_Service.html |
Nov-05 | Dec-07 | http://esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/VEGA.pdf |
Jan-08 | Dec-08 | http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Launchers_Access_to_Space/ASEKMU0TCNC_0.html |
That said this will be the first *major* engine to use electromechanical actuators for TVC.
it is a major achievement for Italian industry.
By the end of the year the LARES laser relativity satellite from Italy’s ASI space agency together with at least six small CubeSats and ALMASat-1 from European universities will be ready and enclosed in the fairing.
The ESA Cubs have been developed by more than 250 university students from six different countries over the last 4 years. Each CubeSat carries its own scientific or technology demonstration payload. The six CubeSats to be launched on Vega in late January 2012 comprise:
- Xatcobeo (a collaboration of the University of Vigo and INTA, Spain): a mission to demonstrate software-defined radio and solar panel deployment;
- Robusta (University of Montpellier 2, France): a mission to test and evaluate radiation effects (low dose rate) on bipolar transistor electronic components;
- e-st@r (Politecnico di Torino, Italy): demonstration of an active 3-axis Attitude Determination and Control system including an inertial measurement unit;
- Goliat (University of Bucharest, Romania): imaging of the Earth surface using a digital camera and in-situ measurement of radiation dose and micrometeoroid flux;
- PW-Sat (Warsaw University of Technology, Poland): a mission to test a deployable atmospheric drag augmentation device for de-orbiting CubeSats;
- MaSat-1 (Budapest University of Technology and Economics): a mission to demonstrate various spacecraft avionics, including a power conditioning system, transceiver and on-board data handling.
A seventh CubeSat is planned to be delivered, installed in a third P-POD and tested during the next two weeks.
That said this will be the first *major* engine to use electromechanical actuators for TVC.
it is a major achievement for Italian industry.
- Xatcobeo (a collaboration of the University of Vigo and INTA, Spain)
- Robusta (University of Montpellier 2, France)
- E-St@r (Politecnico di Torino, Italy)
- Goliat (University of Bucharest, Romania)
- PW-Sat (Warsaw University of Technology, Poland)
- MaSat-1 (Budapest University of Technology & Economics, Hungary)
- UniCubeSat GG (Universitá di Roma ‘La Sapienza’, Italy)
The primary payload on the Vega inaugural flight is the spherical Laser Relativity Satellite (LARES), which is installed on-board the LARES System along with AlmaSat-1 (an ASI Educational Satellite built by University of Bologna, Italy), and the P-PODs of the 7 ESA CubeSats.
2011-12-19 Vega ELV First Flight Launch date slipped to 2/7/2012.
Uhhh... I don't think so...
Prediction Date Predicted 1st Launch Citation Sep-98 Dec-02 http://esapub.esrin.esa.it/rfs/rfs18/CAPORICCI.pdf Dec-00 Jan-05 http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/vega_funding_001219.html Mar-03 Jun-06 http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Vega_Launcher_To_Orbit_Smaller_Payloads_In_Arianespace_Service.html Nov-05 Dec-07 http://esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/VEGA.pdf Jan-08 Dec-08 http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Launchers_Access_to_Space/ASEKMU0TCNC_0.html QuoteThat said this will be the first *major* engine to use electromechanical actuators for TVC.
Define *major*...Quoteit is a major achievement for Italian industry.
Certamente! Alongside all (but one) of the US-side ISS modules, the ISS cupola and the Cygnus PCM...
Launch delayed to February, 13th.
Launch delayed to February, 13th.
They give any details why? Kinda excited about a new launch system.
On 13 February, the European Space Agency will perform the first qualification flight of its brand new Vega launch vehicle.
The first mission, designated VV01, is scheduled for liftoff during a two-hour launch window during 10:00–12:00 GMT (11:00–13:00 CET; 07:00–09:00 local time)
Italian space hardware achievement in general are extensive (not to mention their key role in the OSC Antares LV for COTS II)
Italian space hardware achievement in general are extensive (not to mention their key role in the OSC Antares LV for COTS II)
I humbly beg to make two slight corrections:
There is no major Italian industry involvement with the Antares LV: TAS-I (Torino) is, of course, MAJORLY involved in the Cygnus Spacecraft (that will be launched by the Antares LV)...
There is no "COTS II" - you may be thinking of the CRS ("Commercial Resupply Service") contract (COTS was a "Space Act Agreement" or "SSA", not a contract like CRS.)
Having said that, one TAS-I built Cygnus PCM is involved in the COTS Demo Flight scheduled for sometime this fall.
Under an hour to go and all webcast pages pointing to this horrid little window on the ESA site.
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Vega/SEM8QAWX7YG_0.html
Anyone seen anything better?
Under an hour to go and all webcast pages pointing to this horrid little window on the ESA site.
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Vega/SEM8QAWX7YG_0.html
Anyone seen anything better?
T-20 and counting
(Chris you should get a mac, then you can do screen cap of part of the screen ;) )
Webcast starting. Now have a video box. Someone try and get a VLC out of it, if poss.
Bad link, I think, PT. Crashed my VLC and also Rui's (on the check)
Nice rumbling launch sound - jumped off the pad!Yeah, solids tend to do that. Ever seen a Scout launch? Impressive!
Chris, I've been snapping a bunch of screenshots directly from the video feed (thanks, VLC!). Did you want a copy at some point?
Nice one! Would be a good idea if you could post the best ones - especially now we're back into promo/overview videos.
Thanks!
I think the PAO was a bit shocked about how fast Vega went. Considering Soyuz and Ariane 5 are a tad big slower, I guess thats normal.
On a more serious note: They're planning on putting Lares at a ~1050km orbit, and the AlmaSats at ~300km. Their stated reason for this is to put the AVUM on a course for easy reentry. Would this not mean the AlmaSats are going to be on a course for reentry too? Or are they not designed for a long time in space.
Nice, thanks PT - important we recorded as much as possible into this thread, so thanks for those - and thanks again to Arkaska and his Mac :D
Current altitude 1180km, speed 6,88km/s. What is the target orbit?
Santa Maria in Portugal has tracking.
Picked up by Perth.
Go Go Goliat!
Go Go Goliat!
Go Go PW-Sat! ;)
Wally, if u are able, please provide us information about health of first romanian satellite. Will try to do same with info about our "first".
Third burn is over.
That qualifies the vehicle 100 percent!
Actually, the de-orbit burn is still to be achieved. we are just a bit away from perfection. That burn is already programmed inside the on-board computer. If I well remember the flight software can also be programmed with a 4th burn (the 5th being the de-orbit) and I am not sure if they will be using this capability for some other tests.
Actually, the de-orbit burn is still to be achieved. we are just a bit away from perfection. That burn is already programmed inside the on-board computer. If I well remember the flight software can also be programmed with a 4th burn (the 5th being the de-orbit) and I am not sure if they will be using this capability for some other tests.
According to the press release there won't be a de-orbit burn. The AVUM is in an orbit that will active re-entry in a few years and remaining fuel is vented but no specific re-entry burn will be preformed.
Actually, the de-orbit burn is still to be achieved. we are just a bit away from perfection. That burn is already programmed inside the on-board computer. If I well remember the flight software can also be programmed with a 4th burn (the 5th being the de-orbit) and I am not sure if they will be using this capability for some other tests.
According to the press release there won't be a de-orbit burn. The AVUM is in an orbit that will active re-entry in a few years and remaining fuel is vented but no specific re-entry burn will be preformed.
Yes, after deployment of LARES the third burn decreased the perigee from 1450 km to 350km. Then cubesat deployment. With this perigee reentry will occur far earlier than the required 25 years due to athmospheric friction.
100% success on a maiden flight. Awesome! Well done ESA and Arianespace. :)
I noted your objections. I am now forwarding a request to the development team for clarification on this. I would be surprised if they chose not to test that part of the flight software.
Actually, the de-orbit burn is still to be achieved. we are just a bit away from perfection. That burn is already programmed inside the on-board computer. If I well remember the flight software can also be programmed with a 4th burn (the 5th being the de-orbit) and I am not sure if they will be using this capability for some other tests.
According to the press release there won't be a de-orbit burn. The AVUM is in an orbit that will active re-entry in a few years and remaining fuel is vented but no specific re-entry burn will be preformed.
Yes, after deployment of LARES the third burn decreased the perigee from 1450 km to 350km. Then cubesat deployment. With this perigee reentry will occur far earlier than the required 25 years due to athmospheric friction.
I noted your objections. I am now forwarding a request to the development team for clarification on this. I would be surprised if they chose not to test that part of the flight software.
I noted your objections. I am now forwarding a request to the development team for clarification on this. I would be surprised if they chose not to test that part of the flight software.
If it do have the capability to re-enter then I'm surprised as well that they didn't do it. However I'm no expert and only when by what the press release stated.
I hope somebody is still interested in this.
Instead, from another good source in Kourou at the time of the launch, it has been reported that LARES release was going to be considered good if within 20Km of altitude. It appears that the release happened within a few METERS of the target altitude.Wow! Statistically it has no significance. But I do hope they keep this record.
Instead, from another good source in Kourou at the time of the launch, it has been reported that LARES release was going to be considered good if within 20Km of altitude. It appears that the release happened within a few METERS of the target altitude.Wow! Statistically it has no significance. But I do hope they keep this record.
BTW, if the extra performance seen as a bug or as a feature? I.e. it's a pleasant surprise or a variance problem?
Dito. Thanks, dsky.
And for anyone else who cares:
Purely based on numbers shown during the webcast I estimated a 3rd stage orbit of -30 x 775 km (?) Also, the velocity peaked around T+1:40, 3:12 and 5:31 for each of the three solid stages. Thrust levels dropped sharply around these points in time and the vehicle - not surprisingly - appeared to be coasting towards the separation events while trading speed for altitude.
Big news!
Here is a first movie of the VEGA launch as seen from the on-board cameras. Most of it is in a kind of slow frame rate, but at the end there is a high frame rate clip of the P80 separation.
The whole movie has different events in it.
I hope they will release a better one, but for now it is just great to view it!
http://www.asitv.it/index.php?DLr=cN2xsU2L4yofyk3jfFrTWnhCxpaY9s
Good video to watch.
A little bit dicey on the last stage separation seen in the video, but everything worked. Note that the first stage of the flight does not appear to use roll control.
- Ed Kyle
A little bit dicey on the last stage separation seen in the video, but everything worked. Note that the first stage of the flight does not appear to use roll control.
- Ed Kyle
Yeah, I wondered about that. It seemed to be rolling almost as fast as the second stage of the first Falcon 9 at one point.
The only information about roll control I've come across is that the AVUM provides roll control for the second and third stages (and for itself, of course.) So you could be right about the first stage.
It seemed to keep on rolling even after first stage separation, but then sorted itself out. So AVUM appears to have done a good job and provided excellent control and accuracy.
Sorry to bump an old thread, but i'm looking for the total lift performance (in kg) for VV01 ? (press/launch kits only quote max. performance)
Edit:
and while we are at it, does VEGA have a launcher serial number ? like Ariane has for example VA214 / L 569
2012-006A LARES 400
2012-006B ALMASat 12
2012-006C e-st@r 1
2012-006D Goliat 1
2012-006E MagyarSat-OSCAR-72 1
2012-006F XaTcobeo 1
2012-006G PW-Sat 1 1
2012-006H ROBUSTA 1
2012-006J UNICubeSat GG 1
2012-006K AVUM/LARES A&H/SS 10?
2012-006K Vega AVUM VV01 1200 full 660 empty
2012-006K LARES Support System 300
2012-006K 937B Payload Adapter 149
for a total of 1119 kg on orbit for 2012-006K and
419 kg on orbit for the other objects.
For the record, all the payloads were finally mapped to an ID.
Satellite ID Apo [km] Peri
---------------------------------------
LARES 2012-006A 1435 1453
ALMASAT-1 2012-006B 1329 309
E-STAR 2012-006C 1213 301
GOLIAT 2012-006D 1210 301
MASAT-1 2012-006E 1212 301
XATCOBEO 2012-006F 1164 300
PW SAT 2012-006G 1186 301
ROBUSTA 2012-006H 1220 300
UNICUBESAT 2012-006J 1226 300
AVUM R/B 2012-006K 1279 267