ESA's Vega launch vehicle successfully tested its second stage motor, the Zefiro 23, at the Italian Ministry of Defense test center in Salto di Quirra, Sardinia, on June 26.
The 7.5-meter (24-foot) tall, 2-meter (6-foot) diameter motor, featuring a carbon epoxy filament-wound casing, delivered more than 100 metric tons of thrust (1,070 kilo Newtons), burning some 24 metric tons of solid propellant in 75 seconds.
Controllers gathered numerous data the test and are now analyzing the information to improve technical knowledge of the motor's behavior and refine the launcher's future performance. Technicians also tested various subsystems during the firing, including a thrust vector-control system.
The next step for the Vega motor will be its critical design review, during which its technical characteristics will be finalized, ESA said in a news release.
