(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.
Italian tech for launchers' engines
Structure weighs 40% less, Avio CEO Ranzo