Three minutes to talk about popular science
In accordance with the launch plan developed by the European Space Agency (ESA),In the first half of next year they will launch a worth 2The 2.9 billion euro Earth observation satellite, using a launch vehicle called Vega, which is considered an important project for European astronautics.
But just when the world's attention was focused on this matter, the European Space Agency dropped the big chain at a critical momentBecause two of the four propellant tanks on the Vega rocket disappeared!
After two months of aggressive search by the European Space Agency, inLandfillsThese two vital propellant tanks were found. And when presented in front of the staff,They have been completely pulverized into metal scrap
This kind of unbelievable low-level mistake has appeared in the world's aerospace leader, and the European Space Agency needs to think about what kind of loopholes have appeared in its own management and technical capabilities, and what they can do to make up for the impact of this mistake
The European Space Agency's Earth Observation Satellite (ESOS) project, which was intended to be used to obtain extremely important Earth data, was intended to be usedAriane 6 launch vehicle, I didn't think that the launch of the rocket project was unexpectedly delayed, so I could only use the last Vega rocket, and I didn't think that the rocket was now facing againTwo critical propellant tanks are missingThe puzzle.
The Vega rocket has a total length of 30 meters, a diameter of 3 meters, and a launch weight of 130 tonsIt is a one-time launch vehicle jointly developed by the Italian Space Agency and the European Space Agency, which is mainly used to launch small-mass earth observation satellites and various scientific research satellites. The rocket consists of:Three solid-propellant stages and one re-igniteable liquid-propellant stageThe engine was supplied by the Ukrainian side with the model RD-869 UDMH NTO, and Ukraine's advanced space technology provided great convenience to Europe, which significantly reduced the development cycle of Vega at that time.
The European Space Agency's explanation for this low-level mistake is:Since the four propellant tanks were housed in Collefero's **io production department at the time and were not included in the space agency's asset management system, two of the propellant tanks were mistakenly discarded by staff during the warehouse refurbishment, which had a serious impact on the satellite launch.
At present, the European Space Agency is also at a loss for the problem of the lack of Vega propellant tanks, after all, the Vega rocket is a product of the beginning of the 21st centurySolid rockets have long been discontinued, and the manufacturer's factory in Ukraine has long been reduced to rubble in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and there is no ability to restart production.
Fortunately, the European Space Agency rummaged through the cabinets and found the Vega test rocket built in 2012, and the four propellant tanks inside are still intact, but considering that they have been stored for ten yearsThe European Space Agency intends to use two of them for testing, and the other two for replacement if it is functioning properly.
The European Space Agency's other approach is:Borrowing from the design of the new generation Vega-C engine, and then modifying the four-stage engine of the old VegaHowever, the redesign and refurbishment of the rocket engine is not an easy task, and it is estimated that it will take a long time to complete, so in any case, Europe's Earth satellite launch mission next year will be postponed, or even become a bubble next year.
There is only one way to get the European Space Agency's Earth satellite launched on schedule, and that's thatCooperate with Musk to use SpaceX launch vehicles to carry out launch missions。SpaceX's current achievements and technical experience are remarkable, and if the European Space Agency wants to, SpaceX is more than capable of a flawless triumphant launch.
In the fifties and sixties of the last century, with the Soviet Union and the United States officially launched the space race, European countries were also anxious like ants on a hot pot, but they knew that their own strength alone was not enough to support the development of space exploration, so the 11 European countries decided to work together to build Europe's vigorous aviation technology.
In 1975, the European Space Agency (ESA) was officially established, and rocket technology was regarded as a primary development goal from the beginning of its establishmentIts Ariana rocket is currently developing the sixth generation, and has been developed successively in the course of decades of developmentGalileo Satellite Positioning System, Mars Express, Venus Express probe, Rosetta Comet probe, Columbus Experiment Module of the International Space Station, Italian Dome Module, and ATV cargo spacecraftand other aviation technology.
Now the European Space Agency has it22 Member States, the annual budget is exceeded$6.3 billionIt has become one of the most important leaders in the world's aerospace industry, and its comprehensive strength ranks highThird in the world, second only to the United States and China.
But in recent years, the European Space Agency has had many mysterious operations and low-level mistakes, which can not help but worry about their internal problems.
On November 16, 2020, Ariane Space (founded by the European Space Agency) launched a Vega launch vehicle from the Kourou Space Center in French Guiana. After ignition and takeoff, the Vega rocket behaved normallyHowever, just after the upper stage separated and ignited the engine, the rocket continued to lose control, causing continuous and obvious rolling, and the trajectory deviated out of control, and the final launch mission can only be declared a failure.
The Vega launch vehicle has been launched countless times, and it stands to reason that there should be no mission failure. After the accident, it was finally discovered after data monitoring by the staffThe two thrust vector control drive cables of the rocket were installed in reverse directions, and as a result, the input of the two drive instructions was reversed, which eventually led to a large loss of control of the rocket.
Ariane Space's CTO Roland Lagier summed it up afterwards:It was a complete human error that had nothing to do with rocket design and programming.
The European Space Agency (ESA) immediately issued a statement stating that an independent commission of inquiry would be established soon to propose corrective measures to prevent the next man-made accident from happening.
Let's take a look at the example of the failed launch of the European Space Agency's "Vega-C" launch vehicle in December 2022The rocket was jointly developed by 13 countries including Italy and France, which lasted for a total of eight years, and is a general-purpose four-stage solid launch vehicle.
As early as July 2021, the European Space Agency conducted a test launch of the rocket, and the test results were successful. And last December, the European Space Agency had high hopes for it to launch it with two high-resolution Earth observation satellites, but it never expected to fail unexpectedly, and years of efforts have been in vain.
The French newspaper Le Monde willThe failure of the launch of Vega-C was an unprecedented blow and the return of Europe's most valuable project of the centuryAs a result, the European Space Agency has once again opened up a gap with the space progress of China and the United States.
In addition to grief, the European Space Agency also quickly launched an investigation into the accident, and after more than two months of wreckage examination, the cause of the accident was finally revealed.
And the culprit that caused the failure of the rocket launch turned out to beComponents in the area of the engine nozzleDue to its poor quality, the device suffered from excessive thermomechanical erosion after being subjected to ultra-high temperatures, which caused the engine thrust to drop and cause the rocket to crash shortly after launch
The manufacturer of the parts came from Ukraine, and the Ukrainian parts industry was questioned for some time and was no longer trusted by the European Space Agency.
From human error in rocket launches to problems with parts**, this series of low-level mistakes reflects the urgent need of the European Space AgencyRe-examine your own problems and future development prospects
Space exploration requires a lot of financial investment, but the European Space Agency is now facing severe pressure from underfunding, which in turn shows that there are major internal operational problems. Like what they live byProportional returns for geographical contributionsAlthough countries will be encouraged to actively participate in the construction of the project in the early stage, it will also lead to political differences among the leaders of various countries in the later stage, and the problem of alliance disagreement will arise.
The second is how the ESA and other national space agencies should respond to the rapid development of private enterprises, and the advent of SpaceX and Blue Origin has brought earth-shaking changes to the world's aviation landscapeWhile accelerating global aviation exploration, it has also exposed the problems of some national space agencies. How to cooperate with advanced enterprises on the road of future development and work together to improve their own level is the top priority of the future prospects of space agencies of various countries. Of course, if you have the ability to lead a breakthrough, it will be a better ending.
Space exploration is full of unknown challenges and rare opportunities, and only by constantly adapting to breakthroughs can we stand out and forge ahead in the global space race.