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Vega flight VV15

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Vega launch
Launch	11 July 2019 (2019-07-11), 01:53:03 UTC
Operator	Arianespace
Pad	Kourou ELV
Payload	FalconEye1
Outcome	Failure
Vega launches
← VV14VV16 →

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

Payload

The flight, with a total payload mass of about 1,279 kilograms (2,820 lb), was a single-payload mission that should have deployed the FalconEye1 satellite into orbit.

FalconEye1

FalconEye1, a high resolution Earth observation built by Airbus Defence and Space and Thales Alenia Space, had a lift-off mass of approximately 1,197 kilograms (2,639 lb), and was the only satellite on board the flight.

Mission description

Launch date

The launch, initially planned for 5 June 2019 at 01:53:03 UTC, was postponed several times due to unfavourable weather conditions. The 15th Vega flight finally lifted off from the ELV launch pad in Kourou, French Guiana on 11 July 2019 at 01:35:15 UTC (10 July 2019 at 10:53:03 local time).

Planned orbit

The mission was planned to last 57 minutes and 09 seconds from lift-off until separation, placing its payload into a quasi-circular sun-synchronous target orbit with a mean altitude of about 611 kilometres (380 mi).

Launch log

It was the 311th Arianespace mission (the 6th in 2019), and the 15th Vega launch (the 2nd in 2019).

FalconEye1 was Airbus Defence and Space's 131st and Thales Alenia Space 159th spacecraft to be launched by Arianespace.

Failure

Initial statements

Only 9 minutes after liftoff, a first statement was read by Luce Fabreguettes, Arianespace's executive vice-president for missions, operations and purchasing, indicating that " about 2 minutes after liftoff, around the ignition, a major anomaly occurred, resulting in the loss of the mission. From the first flight data analysis we will get in the coming hours more precise information, and we will communicate to everybody at the soonest. ".

Arianespace later repeated in a press release that "approximately two minutes after the Vega launcher’s liftoff, shortly after ignition of the second stage (Z23), a launcher anomaly occurred – leading to the premature end of the mission".

Avio also published the same press release and also a video by their CEO confirming the event: "Approximately two minutes after the Vega launcher’s liftoff, shortly after ignition of the second stage, a launcher anomaly occurred – leading to the premature end of the mission", and "At present, the cause of the anomaly is still unknown and is under investigation".

Inquiry commission

On the day of the incident, Arianespace and ESA announced that an inquiry commission would be appointed to investigate the causes of the failure and to produce recommendations allowing the Vega launcher to resume safe operations. It has been co-chaired by ESA's inspector general, Toni Tolker-Nielsen, and Arianespace's chief technical officer, Roland Lagier, and also included representatives from CNES and Avio.

On 4 September 2019, the inquiry commission submitted its findings, that were released the next day on 5 September 2019. In particular, a structural failure on the second stage's forward dome area resulting from higher temperatures was identified as the most probable cause of the failure:

"The Commission identified as the most likely cause of the anomaly a thermo-structural failure in the forward dome area of the Z23 motor. Other possible causes such as inadvertent activation of the Z23 neutralization system have been found unlikely.
Furthermore, after specific investigations, the Independent Inquiry Commission did not find any evidence of a malicious act."

Chronology

The recorded parameters streamed to ground controllers revealed that at T+00:02:10.850, shortly after ignition of the second stage's Zefiro 23 motor, a sudden and violent event occurred on the second stage that led to breakup the launch vehicle into two main parts: the second stage and the rest of the vehicle. Beginning at T+00:02:15, the trajectory recorded veered off course. Knowing that the vehicle was in an unrecoverable condition, the range safety officer sent a destruct signal at T+00:03:33.660, that was confirmed as executed. At T+00:05:14.025, the telemetry was lost. Soon after the loss of telemetry, the vehicle crashed into the Atlantic Ocean.

Aftermath

A set of corrective actions will be implemented by the rocket manufacturer to fix and reinforce the suspected part to prevent the repeat of the failure. Arianespace expected to resume Vega flight in early 2020, and the maiden flight of upgraded Vega C to March 2020.

References

1. "Vega Flight VV15 - Arianespace". arianespace.com. Arianespace. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
2. ^ "Vega Flight VV15 failure: Arianespace and ESA appoint an independent inquiry commission". Arianespace. 11 July 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
3. ^ "Vol VV15 : Arianespace au service d'un programme d'observation de la Terre au profit des Émirats Arabes Unis" [Flight VV15: Arianespace at the service of an Earth observation programme for the profit of the UAE] (PDF) (Launch kit) (in French). Arianespace. June 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
4. ^ "Flight VV15: Arianespace at the service of an Earth observation programme for the profit of the UAE" (PDF) (Launch kit). Arianespace. June 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
5. "🔴 LIVE LAUNCH of Arianespace Vega Flight VV15 – FalconEye1 + FAILURE". Youtube. 10 July 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
6. ^ "Vega VV15". Avio.com. 11 July 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
7. ^ Ranzo, Giulio (11 July 2019). "Vega Flight VV15: Giulio Ranzo CEO of Avio". Avio.com.
8. "Vega Flight VV15 failure: Arianespace and ESA appoint an independent inquiry commission". European Space Agency. 11 July 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
9. ^ "Vega flight VV15: findings of the Independent Inquiry Commission's investigations". European Space Agency. 5 September 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
10. ^ "Vega Flight VV15: Findings of the Independent Inquiry Commission's investigations". Arianespace. 5 September 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
11. ^ Henry, Caleb; Berger, Brian (5 September 2019). "Second stage blamed as Vega targets early 2020 return to flight". SpaceNews.com. SpaceNews. SpaceNews. Retrieved 6 September 2019.

External links

• Vega Flight VV15 at Arianespace (Archived 29 June 2019)

v t e Arianespace launches
Ariane 5 (list)	V88 (Cluster) VA241 (SES-14) VA245 (BepiColombo) VA256 (James Webb Space Telescope)
Ariane 6 (list)	VA262 (maiden flight)
Soyuz	VS09 (Galileo) VS22 (O3b)
Vega (list)	VV01 (LARES) VV15 (FalconEye1) VV16 (SSMS) VV22 (Pléiades Neo 5&6)
Between parentheses is the main payload only Italics indicate future launches Symbol indicates failure or partial failure

• Vega (rocket)
• 2019 in French Guiana
• 2019 in spaceflight