Avio: Italian technology for engine of future launchers

(ANSA) - Paris, June 20 - The engine of future launchers will weigh 40% less, enabling them to launch heavier systems and to be produced in large quantities, thanks to technology invented in Italy. The engine P120C planned for the future launchers of the European Space Agency (ESA) Vega C and Ariane 6 is built in Italy by Italian aerospace group Avio in Colleferro near Rome. "The construction of the factory in which the engine is built has not be completed yet but production has started", the CEO of Avio, Giulio Ranzo, told ANSA.
    The P120C is the largest monolithic carbon-fibre solid propellant motor in the world, designed for the new Vega C and Ariane 6 launchers, set for their first launch in 2019 and 2020.
    This model was made with carbon fiber and the most advanced fiber placement and filament finding technologies, with a composite material designed and produced by Avio for space applications.
    Thanks to the material, "the P120C engine weighs 40% less compared to a traditional engine" and has been studied "to be produced in elevated quantities", or up to 35 models against the 12 that it is currently possible to produce with traditional technology.