Kurú (French Guiana), 13 feb (EFE).-the new Vega rocket, the first spacecraft to that launches the European aerospace industry in the 21st century, culminated today with successful risky maiden flight at one hour and 21 minutes, faithful to the program of the European Space Agency (ESA).
El Vega, a rocket from 30 meters in height and 137 tonnes intended for placing in orbit of small loads, took off at 10: 00 GMT from the center space European of Kurú, in French Guiana, it reached an altitude of 1,450 kilometres above the Earth and deployed nine scientific satellites, including the Xatcobeo Spanish.
“No longer any European satellite that can not be put into orbit by a European launch service”, pointed out at the end of the Mission of ESA, Jean-Jacques Dordain, director before a Chamber in which the success of a release which represents more than nine years of work and 710 million euros of investment (US $942 million) was held without fuss.
El Vega, whose reference to load is 1,5 tonnes transported to 700 kilometers of altitude, complete family of launchers that operates Europe and joins Ariane 5, for heavy loads, and the Russian Soyuz, which take off from Kurú with intermediate masses since Oct..
The words of the exastronauta served as a final point a long hour of tension contained scientists and public suffered in silence and gave way to a burst of applause, hugs and thumbs raised. Minutes later, between the tropical humidity of Kurú were heard chanting enthusiastic mixed with champagne.
Responsible for the pitcher, who had insisted that the maiden flight has piloted, they feared that you repeat the disaster of June 5, 1996, when Ariane 5 exploded a minute after leaving the launch pad for the first time making the rocket and its payload a trail of colters in heaven.
But the scientific work of a decade allowed for the maiden flight of the Vega, called VV01 and operated by Arianespace, successfully complete its agenda.
In the three early stages burned – in 5 minutes and 47 seconds – 122,3 tons of solid fuel to carry the payload into orbit desired.
Then the “brain” of the Vega, a 20 cubic metres module called AVUM, began a complex dance space in one hour and 15 minutes in which ignited and extinguished several times their engines to expel the satellite LARES, Italian technology that aims to analyze the distortion of space-time enunciated by Albert Einstein.
Later left the rocket ALMASat-1, designed at the University of Bologna (Italy) and, finally, the seven “nanosatellites” CubeSats developed by seven European universities through the work of 250 students from 10 different countries.
Copy Spanish the burden of “picosatélites” in a way cube with 10 cm side and a kilo of weight, the Xatcobeo, has been developed by the University of Vigo, in collaboration with the National Institute for aerospace technology (INTA), Retegal and the Ministry of science and research.
Responsible of the project, Fernando Aguado, following live takeoff, told Efe that the release was “a very exciting, unique moment” and thanked “these years of work” to students and INTA.
El Xatcobeo carried out a campaign of action of radiation of high energy particles, practically on the inner ring of Van Allen, who could crystallize with applications ranging from the reception of signals from maritime surveillance to capture images of medium resolution for fire control.
Spain, along with France, Holland, Belgium, Sweden and Switzerland, is one of the countries (with a 4.6 percent) which has contributed to the success of a rocket where raw seal of Italy, which started the dream of developing the small launcher and that has generated more than half of the nave.
The Spanish aerospace industry will recover its investment of 33 million euros ($43.8 million) through contracts with companies such as EADS CASA space and Astrium Crisa, engaged in the manufacture of rocket.
The next five releases of Vega are insured through the program Verta ESA, which will provide 400 million additional euros for this series.
Later, the Vega starts its commercial activity at a rate of two releases per year at a price of EUR 32 million for take-off ($ 42 million) for a niche in the global market that provide annually between 30 to 40 satellites.
By Javier Albisu
The new rocket Vega, the smaller spacecraft of the European Space Agency (ESA), takes off from the space European Centre of Kurú, French Guiana, today, Monday, February 13, 2012. EFE
image without dating provided today 13 February 2012 by the European Space Agency (ESA), of the spacecraft Vega, the smallest of the rockets that operates in Europe, the Central European space of Kurú, in French Guiana. EFE
