Test Firing of Vega’s Third Stage Motor Completed

[Satellite Today 05-01-09] The final qualification test firing of the third stage solid propellant motor for Europe’s Veega small launch vehicle was conducted at the Salto di Quirra Interforce Test Range in Sardinia, Italy, the European Space Agency announced April 30.
    The Zefiro 9A motor fired for nearly two minutes to completely burn its 10-ton propellant load. The main objectives of the test were to verify the behavior of the motor in a fully flight-representative configuration to confirm the design performance and to collect information for system studies at stage level.
    The April 28 firing was the final step in the complete qualification test program for the Zefiro 9A and also completes the overall ground qualification test campaign for all three Vega solid rocket motors.