N° 44–2023: Media invitation: Findings of the Independent Enquiry Commission on Vega-C test
28 September 2023
The Independent Inquiry Commission tasked with analysing the results of the static firing test of the Vega-C Zefiro 40 motor, which took place on 28 June 2023, will share its findings on Monday 2 October 2023 during an online media briefing.
Josef Aschbacher, ESA Director General will present the results of the investigation at 12:30CEST, in the presence of:
- Giovanni Colangelo, Inspector General, ESA, and chair of the Independent Enquiry Commission;
- Giulio Ranzo, CEO, Avio
- Stéphane Israël, CEO, Arianespace
- Toni Tolker-Nielsen, Director of Space Transportation, ESA.
An Independent Enquiry Commission was set up following the failure of Vega-C launch VV22 in December 2022. The enquiry commission made a number of recommendations to ensure the reliable return to flight and robust exploitation of Vega-C. These included, among others, the verification of the design of the Zefiro 40 engine and the implementation of a (delta-)qualification for its nozzle.
On 28 June 2023, a static firing test of the modified Zefiro 40 engine took place at the test bench in Salto di Quirra in Italy. The test ended after 40 seconds when an anomaly was detected. The Independent Enquiry Commission has reviewed the results of this test, drawing a number of conclusions and making further recommendations which will be shared with media on Monday 2 October 2023.
During the briefing, ESA and its partners will present at more length the findings of the enquiry commission, together with an updated target schedule of the 2024 Vega-C launch manifest.
Accreditation
The online media briefing will be followed by a question and answer session.
Media representatives are invited to register at the following link: https://blogs.esa.int/forms/esa-media-briefing-form the latest by Friday 29 September 2023 at 17:00 CEST. Registered media will receive the link to join the interactive online session shortly before the briefing (WebEx platform).
The press conference will also be streamed at esawebtv.esa.int, but only registered media will be able to ask questions.
Contact
For further information and for interview requests, please contact media@esa.int.
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