P120C

Last updated

P120C
Space Pavilion auf der -ILA2016 - Das Motto- "Space for Earth" (27391937555).jpg
Closeup view of P120s of an Ariane 6 mockup at ILA Berlin Air Show 2016
Country of originFlag of Italy.svg  Italy
Flag of Europe.svg  European Union
First flight13 July 2022 (2022-07-13)
Designer Avio
ManufacturerEuropropulsion
Associated LV Ariane 6, Vega C
Predecessor P80
StatusIn use
Solid-fuel motor
Propellant HTPB / AP / Al
Performance
Thrust, sea-level4,323 kN (972,000 lbf)
Specific impulse, sea-level279 s (2.74 km/s)
Burn time135.7 seconds
Propellant capacity141,634 kg (312,250 lb)
Dimensions
Length13.38 m (43.9 ft)
Diameter3.4 m (11 ft)
Gross mass155,027 kg (341,776 lb)

The P120C is a solid-fuel rocket motor designed for use as the first stage of the Vega-C and as the boosters of the Ariane 6 launch vehicles. The solid rocket motors were developed by Europropulsion, a joint venture of Avio and ArianeGroup, for the European Space Agency. The "C" in the name signifies its "Common" use across these vehicles.

Contents

As of July 2022, it holds the title of the world's largest and most-powerful single-piece solid-fuel rocket motor, surpassing its predecessor, the P80.[ not verified in body ]

Development and Testing

Initially, production of the P120C was planned to be divided between Avio's main facility in Italy and MT Aerospace in Germany. However, in 2018, ESA decided to consolidate production entirely in Italy, with MT Aerospace focusing on Ariane 6's turbopumps. [1]

The first successful test firing occurred at the Guiana Space Centre in July 2018, lasting 140 seconds and simulating a complete first-stage burn. [2] Subsequent tests in 2019 and 2020 confirmed the motor's flight readiness for both launcher configurations. [3] [4]

Design and Performance

The P120C builds upon the P80's design, utilizing a carbon fibre casing constructed via filament winding and fabric deposition techniques. It houses a 143.6 tonnes (317,000 lb) of HTPB 1912 propellant, a blend of 19% aluminium powder, 69% ammonium perchlorate with 12% of hydroxyl terminated polybutadiene binder. [5] The motor's 25 centimetres (9.8 in) thick walls require a 3,500 kilometres (2,200 mi) of carbon fiber, wound over 33 days in a climate-controlled environment. When operational, the P120C generates an average thrust of 4.5 meganewtons (1,000,000 lbf). [6]

P160C

In 2022, development began on the P120C+ variant, which would evolve into the P160C. This extended version adds 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) to the motor's length and an additional 14 tonnes (14 long tons; 15 short tons) of propellant. [7] This upgrade translates to a roughly 2 tonnes (4,400 lb) improvement in lift performance on the Ariane 64 with four boosters. [8] Notably, 16 of the planned 18 Kuiper launches by Ariane 6 will utilize this enhanced booster. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ariane 5</span> European heavy-lift space launch vehicle (1996–2023)

Ariane 5 is a retired European heavy-lift space launch vehicle developed and operated by Arianespace for the European Space Agency (ESA). It was launched from the Guiana Space Centre (CSG) in French Guiana. It was used to deliver payloads into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO), low Earth orbit (LEO) or further into space. The launch vehicle had a streak of 82 consecutive successful launches between 9 April 2003 and 12 December 2017. Since 2014, Ariane 6, a direct successor system, first launched in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arianespace</span> European commercial space transportation company

Arianespace SA is a French company founded in March 1980 as the world's first commercial launch service provider. It operates two launch vehicles: Vega C, a small-lift rocket, and Ariane 6, a medium-to-heavy-lift rocket. Arianespace is a subsidiary of ArianeGroup, a joint venture between Airbus and Safran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ariane (rocket family)</span> Family of European medium- and heavy-lift rocket launch vehicles

Ariane is a series of European civilian expendable launch vehicles for space launch use. The name comes from the French spelling of the mythological character Ariadne. France first proposed the Ariane project and it was officially agreed upon at the end of 1973 after discussions between France, Germany and the UK. The project was Western Europe's second attempt at developing its own launcher following the unsuccessful Europa project. The Ariane project was code-named L3S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ariane 4</span> Rocket

The Ariane 4 was a European expendable launch vehicle, developed by the Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES), the French space agency, for the European Space Agency (ESA). It was manufactured by ArianeGroup and marketed by Arianespace. Since its first flight on 15 June 1988 until the final flight on 15 February 2003, it attained 113 successful launches out of 116 total launches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soyuz (rocket family)</span> Russian and Soviet rocket family

Soyuz is a family of expendable Russian and Soviet carrier rockets developed by OKB-1 and manufactured by Progress Rocket Space Centre in Samara, Russia. The Soyuz is the rocket with the most launches in the history of spaceflight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vega (rocket)</span> European Space Agency launch system

Vega was an expendable small-lift launch vehicle operated by Arianespace, produced by Avio, and jointly developed by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and the European Space Agency (ESA). Development began in 1998 and the first launch took place from the Guiana Space Centre on 13 February 2012. It was the 8th most launched small lift launch vehicle in history. The final flight of the rocket took place on 5 September 2024, after being replaced by the improved Vega C, already in use since 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avio</span> Italian Aerospace Company

Avio S.p.A. is an Italian company operating in the aerospace sector with its head office in Colleferro near Rome, Italy. Founded in 1908, it is present in Italy and abroad with different commercial offices and 10 production sites. Avio operates in:

The Future Launchers Preparatory Programme (FLPP) is a technology development and maturation programme of the European Space Agency (ESA). It develops technologies for the application in future European launch vehicles (launchers) and in upgrades to existing launch vehicles. By this it helps to reduce time, risk and cost of launcher development programmes.
Started in 2004, the programmes initial objective was to develop technologies for the Next Generation Launcher (NGL) to follow Ariane 5. With the inception of the Ariane 6 project, the focus of FLPP was shifted to a general development of new technologies for European launchers.
FLPP develops and matures technologies that are deemed promising for future application but currently do not have a sufficiently high technology readiness level (TRL) to allow a clear assessment of their performance and associated risk. Those technologies typically have an initial TRL of 3 or lower. The objective is to raise the TRL up to about 6, thus creating solutions which are proven under relevant conditions and can be integrated into development programmes with reduced cost and limited risk.

This page is an incomplete list of orbital rocket engine data and specifications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ariane 6</span> European space launch vehicle

Ariane 6 is a European expendable launch system operated by Arianespace and developed and produced by ArianeGroup on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA). It replaces Ariane 5, as part of the Ariane launch vehicle family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">P80 (rocket stage)</span> Solid-fuel first-stage rocket motor used on the ESA Vega

P80 is a solid-fuel first-stage rocket motor used on the European Space Agency Vega rocket. It was the world's largest and most powerful one-piece solid-fuel rocket engine, being replaced by the larger P120C on 13 July 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liquid fly-back booster</span> Launch vehicle study

Liquid Fly-back Booster (LFBB) was a German Aerospace Center's (DLR's) project concept to develop a liquid rocket booster capable of reuse for Ariane 1 in order to significantly reduce the high cost of space transportation and increase environmental friendliness. lrb would replace the existing liquid rocket boosters, providing main thrust during the countdown. Once separated, two winged boosters would perform an atmospheric entry, go back autonomously to the French Guiana, and land horizontally on the airport like an aeroplane.

Vega C, or Vega Consolidation, is a European expendable, small-lift launch vehicle developed and produced by Avio. It is an evolution of the original Vega launcher, designed to offer greater launch performance and flexibility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prometheus (rocket engine)</span> Methalox spacecraft propulsion system


The Prometheus rocket engine is an ongoing European Space Agency (ESA) development effort begun in 2017 to create a reusable methane-fueled rocket engine for use on the Themis reusable rocket demonstrator and Ariane Next, the successor to Ariane 6, and possibly a version of Ariane 6 itself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zefiro (rocket stage)</span>

Zefiro is a family of solid-fuel rocket motors developed by Avio and used on the European Space Agency Vega rocket. The name Zefiro derives from the acronym ZEro FIrst stage ROcket, conceived when this motor was intended to be used as first and second stages of San Marco program of the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The name also references the Greek god of the west wind, Zephyrus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vega flight VV15</span> Space launch

Vega flight VV15 was the 15th flight of the Vega launcher, and its first failure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M10 (rocket engine)</span>

M10 is a liquid-fuel upper-stage rocket engine in development by Avio on behalf of European Space Agency for use on Vega E. The engine, initially known as LM10-MIRA, was a derivation of the existing Russian RD-0146 engine and result of a past collaboration between Avio and Chemical Automatics Design Bureau (KBKhA) ended in 2014 after the escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict and consequent economic sanctions. On May 6, 2022 engine testing campaign started at Salto di Quirra, Sardinia, with consequent maiden flight on a Vega-E launcher expected by 2026 from Guiana Space Centre.

Ariane Next—also known as SALTO —is a future European Space Agency rocket being developed in the 2020s by ArianeGroup. This partially reusable launcher is planned to succeed Ariane 6, with an entry into service in the 2030s. The objective of the new launcher is to halve the launch costs compared with Ariane 6. The preferred architecture is that of the Falcon 9 rocket while using an engine burning a mixture of liquid methane and liquid oxygen. The first technological demonstrators are under development.

The P160C is a solid-fuel rocket engine designed for use as the first stage of the Vega-E and as the boosters of the Ariane 6 Block 2 launch vehicles. The solid rocket motors were developed by Europropulsion, a joint venture of Avio and ArianeGroup, for the European Space Agency. The "C" in the name signifies its "Common" use across these vehicles.

References

  1. "Germany trades P120 booster production for Ariane 6 turbo pumps, upper stage carbon fiber research". SpaceNews. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  2. "Hot firing proves solid rocket motor for Ariane 6 and Vega-C". ESA. 16 July 2018. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  3. "Successful second test firing for the P120C solid rocket motor for Ariane 6 and Vega-C". ArianeGroup. 28 January 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  4. "The qualification model of the P120C motor configured for Ariane 6, has been static fired on the test stand at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana in a final test to prove its readiness for flight". ESA . 8 October 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  5. "VEGA C: 1° Stage – P120C Motor". Avio . Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  6. Richard Priday (11 June 2018). "This is the fastest rocket on Earth". Wired . Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  7. "ESA-developed P120C solid rocket motor enters production" . Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  8. 1 2 Foust, Jeff (5 April 2022). "Amazon launch contracts drive changes to launch vehicle production". SpaceNews . Retrieved 8 July 2024.