Форум Новости Космонавтики

ЦитироватьIXV (Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle) is a lifting-body re-entry experiment, which is intended to validate re-entry technologies for future European reusable launchers.

IXV is a lifting reentry body, with its shape resulting from the set of design requirements, including the need to maximise the internal volume for carrying experiments. The goal is to get the most out of the vehicle while guaranteeing the mass (limited by Vega's capacity) and centre-of-gravity location. The primary objectives of the IXV project can be grouped into three categories: reentry system demonstration, technology experimentation and technology validation.

ЦитироватьNew milestone in IXV development
 
15 September 2010
Today, ESA held the first IXV Industrial Workshop. Thales Alenia Space and its main industrial partners presented the detailed design of ESA's Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle. The workshop was hosted by Dassault Aviation in Saint Cloud, France.
 
This was the first opportunity for industry to present the hardware development activities that have been undertaken to support the proposed design solutions. During the event, technical and programmatic achievements in the IXV project were shared, and short- and long-term perspectives and future applications were discussed.

"It is a pleasure to see the industry and the research organisations involved in the IXV development so motivated to work on a reentry flight module. This industrial momentum is necessary to accomplish such a mission successfully and timely, while preparing for future challenges together," said Antonio Fabrizi, ESA Director of Launchers.
 

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/80744.jpg) (http://www.esa.int/images/_SCO8916.jpg)
Model of the cold structure subsystem
Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle
 
With the aim of placing Europe among the world's space players in the strategic area of atmospheric reentry, several studies on experimental vehicle concepts and improvements of critical reentry technologies have paved the way for the flight of an experimental craft.

The Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV), under ESA's Future Launchers Preparatory Programme (FLPP), is the step forward from the successful Atmospheric Reentry Demonstrator flight in 1998, establishing Europe's role in this field.

The IXV project objectives are the design, development, manufacture and ground and flight verification of an autonomous European lifting and aerodynamically controlled reentry system, which is highly flexible and manoeuvrable. Among the critical technologies of interest, special attention has been paid to:

 * advanced instrumentation for aerodynamics and aerothermodynamics
 * thermal protection and hot-structure solutions
 * guidance, navigation and flight control through a combination of thrusters and aerodynamic flaps

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/80745.jpg) (http://www.esa.int/images/_SCO8915.jpg)   
'Floatable balloon'
   
After being launched into space, IXV will return to Earth as if from a low-orbit mission, testing brand-new European atmospheric reentry technologies during its hypersonic and supersonic flight phases.

IXV is scheduled for launch in 2013 on Vega, Europe's new small launcher, as part of the 'VERTA' (Vega Research and Technology Accompaniment) programme. After reentering Earth's atmosphere and being slowed by friction from 7.5 km/s, it will descend by parachute and land in the Pacific Ocean to await recovery and analysis.

As IXV flies through Earth's atmosphere, its two-hour mission will include a set of programmed manoeuvres. This will allow scientists and engineers to test the performances of critical technologies.

The project is now well under way, with the Critical Design Review to be completed by the end of 2010, which will allow for the start of manufacturing in 2011, the verification and qualification process in 2012 and the final assembly and integration in 2013.

"The IXV programme is creating a robust European industrial community, which is motivated and committed to the mission's success," said Giorgio Tumino, IXV Project Manager.

"The mission will consolidate European knowhow in atmospheric reentry with limited risk and at affordable cost."

"It may open the opportunity for future applications such as unmanned space vehicles for in-orbit monitoring and satellite servicing."

ЦитироватьESA lifting body entry vehicle on the cusp of final approval
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: June 10, 2011

PARIS -- The European Space Agency should formally approve this summer the construction of an Italian-led demonstrator that will launch into space on a rocket, fly back to Earth like an airplane and parachute into the Pacific Ocean, according to the mission's project manager.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/80986.jpg)
Artist's concept of the Intermediate Experimental Vehicle plunging back to Earth throught the atmosphere. Credit: ESA
 
The Intermediate Experimental Vehicle is on track to blast off on a Vega rocket in late 2013, speed around the Earth at a peak altitude of nearly 300 miles, then drop fr om space and fly back to Earth with the help of aerodynamic flaps and a parachute.

Giorgio Tumino, the IXV project manager at ESA, said the craft passed its final critical design review in May. Senior ESA officials are now firming up the spacecraft's cost before signing a contract with Thales Alenia Space of Italy to build the vehicle.

Formal approval for the contract signature should come fr om an industry planning committee meeting at the end of June, Tumino said in an interview.

"We are in quite an advanced stage of the program," Tumino said. "It's not paper, but it's reality. There is an internal European process for the approval of all the activities. We should be able to sign the actual contract by the end of this month."

Sandrine Bielecki, a Thales spokesperson, said the company signed an agreement to be the IXV's prime contractor in 2009. Individual contracts for design work and hardware production are handled separately.

After ESA and Thales sign a final production contract, there is a 27-month schedule planned to manufacture parts, build the spacecraft and test it before shipping the vehicle to the launch site in Kourou French Guiana.

The total cost of the mission is about 100 million euros, or about $143 million.

ESA has the money to build the spacecraft, but funding for Vega launcher will only come at the agency's next meeting of member states' ministers in late 2012. If ESA signs a launch contract then, IXV could be ready to fly in the fourth quarter of 2013, Tumino said.

"The objective now is to place the contract, build the vehicle and qualify it, then have it ready to be shipped to Kourou," Tumino said. "We really are now going to procure the contract for all the pieces necessary to run the mission. Now what we are missing at the next Ministerial [Council] is only the Vega launcher. We'll have all the pieces there to meet the launcher."

Construction should begin in September, according to Tumino.

The IXV program is emerging from a reorganization at the last Ministerial Council meeting in 2008. Italy increased their financial commitment to the project, and Thales Alenia Space of Italy was appointed prime contractor. An industrial consortium of EADS Astrium and Finmeccanica previously held the position.

The reorganization "induced some delays" as Thales Alenia Space got up to speed on the program, but now the IXV is ready to enter the production phase, according to Tumino.

Its mission will last just a few hours, but the IXV is a big step for Europe. The demo flight will not go into orbit, but the craft is a prototype for future vehicles that could service the International Space Station, land on other planets, or carry people to orbit.

The IXV mission builds on years of ESA development, including the Hermes space plane program shelved by Europe in 1992. Hermes was supposed to be Europe's version of the space shuttle, conceived as a mostly reusable ship able to carry people back forth to orbit.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/80987.jpg)
Artist's concept of ESA's Hermes space plane. Credit: ESA
 
But no Hermes shuttle was ever built despite considerable technological developments in the program. ESA's atmospheric re-entry demonstrator mission in 1998 proved out the Hermes flight control algorithms, but the IXV will fly with more a more advanced heat shield and working aerosurfaces. And it's shaped more like Hermes.

The mission also recycles ESA's research for the NASA-led X-38 crew return vehicle, a lifeboat for the space station that was scrapped in the last decade.

The IXV will fly with approximately 28 advanced ceramic heat shield tiles on its belly, while white ablative material will insulate the top of the vehicle during entry.

With no wings and a peculiar blunt cigar shape, the IXV won't land on a runway like the space shuttle. Instead, the 16-foot-long ship will gently fall into the Pacific Ocean under a parachute, wh ere it will be retrieved by the Italian Navy or a commercial vessel. There is no landing gear.

But even without wings, the IXV is shaped as a lifting body, meaning it can maneuver in the atmosphere through a series of roll reversals. Movements of two electromechanical body flaps at the rear of the vehicle will steer the IXV during entry.

It has a lift-over-drag radio of 0.7, giving the IXV "more controllability during flight, more maneuverability, and eventually a precision landing," Tumino said.

The craft's shape means it flies through the atmosphere instead of falling like a capsule.

Engineers are targeting an error ellipse of about 3 miles on the IXV mission, but follow-on vehicles could land with even more precision.

"This is a demonstration mission. We will be launching from Kourou with a Vega launcher, and we have a set of ground segment stations which will support the mission," Tumino said. "Wh ere the vehicle meets the atmosphere, the conditions will be equivalent to a return mission from low Earth orbit, so basically a 7.5 kilometers per second [16,777 mph] entry speed, so that we can experience all the key environmental features of such a re-entry mission."

The craft's nose will pitch up 40 degrees during re-entry, and it will bleed off speed in a series of roll maneuvers like the space shuttle.

Once officials wrap up contract negotiations this summer, some of their attention will turn to studying applications for the technology to be tested by the IXV. Tumino said the analysis will help prepare a proposal to ESA member states for the continuation of the program after the 2013 demo flight.

"We see opportunities and the possibility to go into orbit and perform ground landings, so to have a retrievable and reusable system," Tumino said. "It's not the space shuttle, which has a huge cost because it's a huge system. It would have to be contained in cost so it would be affordable for Europe to pursue."

ЦитироватьЕвропа к 2013 году создаст беспилотный космический корабль
(22:34) 22.06.2011

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/80997.jpg)   
Европейское космическое агентство сегодня заявило, что планирует запустить через два года собственный беспилотный суборбитальный космический корабль, в задачи которого войдет тестирование широкого спектра технологий, запланированных к использованию в будущих аппаратах многоразового использования, способных многократно взлетать в космос и садиться на космодром.

Изначально ЕКА планировало, что новый корабль Intermediate Experimental Vehicle (IXV) будет запущен на орбиту для демонстрации точных технологий посадки на землю за счет использования парашютов и воздушных подушек, однако позже ведомство решило создать более комплексную модель, которая сможет не только спускаться из космоса, но и взлетать.

Сейчас европейское космическое ведомство планирует, что выводить на суборбитальную траекторию корабль будет легкая европейская ракета Вега, которая будет стартовать с космодрома Куру в Южной Америке. После этого IXV будет собственными силами сходить с орбиты и совершать посадку. Ожидается, что вес аппарата без учета полезной нагрузки и астронавтов составит 2 тонны, а рабочая высота - до 450 километров. Входить в плотные слои атмосферы IXV будет на скорости около 7,5 км/сек.

Во время первых полетов корабль будет собирать значительные объемы информации, связанные со сверхзвуковой скоростью полета и особенностями орбитальных маневров. В ЕКА говорят, что намерены создать для аппарата не имеющие аналогов двигатели и аэродинамическое покрытие.

Первая версия аппарата будет создана в расчете на посадку при помощи парашюта, спускаться она будет в Тихий океан, где ее будут ожидать команды спасателей.

Критики данной европейской разработки говорят, что она бесперспективна, так как ВВС США уже фактически имеют похожий роботизированный аппарат X-37B, который ранее побывал в космосе и успешно приземлился. В свою очередь концепция с посадкой в Тихом океане практически полностью повторяет разработку компании SpaceX, которая также уже была испытана.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/80998.jpg)

Однако в ЕКА говорят, что их аппарат не похож ни на первый, ни на второй продукты, так как использует оригинальную систему вывода в космос. IXV при старте с земли работает с разгонным блоком, напоминающим первую ступень ракеты. В отличии от этой концепции X-37B выводится при помощи полномасштабной ракеты-носителя, капсула Dragon от SpaceX также требует ракеты-носителя.

Более того европейский подъемный блок может обладать различной силой тяги, что позволит выводить IXV с различной массой. Сам же IXV может быть совместим с МКС, что позволит ему доставлять в будущем астронавтов и грузы на станцию, работая в паре с российскими "Прогрессами" и европейскими ATV.

Цитироватьhttp://cybersecurity.ru/space/126112.html

ЦитироватьЕвропа к 2013 году создаст беспилотный космический корабль[/size]
Сейчас европейское космическое ведомство планирует, что выводить на суборбитальную траекторию корабль будет легкая европейская ракета Вега, которая будет стартовать с космодрома Куру в Южной Америке. После этого IXV будет собственными силами сходить с орбиты и совершать посадку. Ожидается, что вес аппарата без учета полезной нагрузки и астронавтов составит 2 тонны, а рабочая высота - до 450 километров. Входить в плотные слои атмосферы IXV будет на скорости около 7,5 км/сек.

ЦитироватьVega is compatible with payload masses ranging from 300 kg to 2500 kg, depending on the type and altitude of the orbit required by the customers. The benchmark is for 1500 kg into a 700 km-altitude polar orbit.

ЦитироватьА почему суборбитальную?

ЦитироватьIt provides a velocity at the entry gate equal to 7450 m/s and a flight path angle of -1.6°, fully representative of a re-entry from lowearth-orbit (LEO) missions.

ЦитироватьIXV will be delivered into an orbit of 180 x 307.2 km, where Vega's upper stage will fire above the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Chile to trigger reentry.

Цитироватьhttp://cybersecurity.ru/space/126112.html

ЦитироватьЕвропа к 2013 году создаст беспилотный космический корабль[/size]
. . .

Цитироватьвес аппарата без учета полезной нагрузки и астронавтов составит 2 тонны,

Цитировать20 декабря
ESA сообщает, что работа над космическим аппаратом многоразового использования IXV будет продолжена. Планируется, что испытательный полет будет совершен в 2014 г. Ракета-носитель «Вега» (которая, к слову, в космос еще не летала — ее первый полет запланирован на 2012 г.) поднимет аппарат на высоту 450 км, после чего он войдет в плотные слои атмосферы и начнет снижение. При спуске скорость IXV достигнет 7,5 км/с, что позволит реалистично смоделировать возвращение аппарата с околоземной орбиты. После входа в плотные слои аппарат откроет парашют и опустится в океан, где его подберут. Проектированием и производством космического корабля занимается компания Thales Alenia Space.

ЦитироватьA Video Report on Test of ESA's IXV System
http://youtu.be/IojqhtUwz50 (http://youtu.be/IojqhtUwz50)

Posted by Doug Messier
on August 31, 2013, at 7:24 am in News

Description: Europe's newest spacecraft, the IXV, or Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle, has moved a step closer to its planned launch in 2014.

The craft completed a pre-launch test off the coast of Sardinia, which involved it being dropped into the Mediterranean fr om a height of 3,000 metres.

For the most part the vehicle performed perfectly during the test, with parachutes deploying as expected. However, just after splashdown a problem arose, as the inflatable devices which should add support to the buoyant IXV once it is in the water had failed to inflate.

It was a dramatic and initially confusing result, but after some head-scratching the engineers involved in the test began to understand what had happened. They believed that the balloons had not inflated because the setting for the sensors that detect the impact with the water was too high. So, splashdown was quite simply a little too gentle.

IXV Programme Manager for ESA, Giorgio Tumino explained: "There has been a lot of discussion around this, because we have to differentiate the shock induced by the impact with the water from the shock that could be induced by wind gusts to the parachute, because these are very similar levels in terms of shock and we have to differentiate those levels. We had set these thresholds quite high, and while my impression, my visual impression of what happened was that the landing was very soft because the parachute is really working fine, so probably the impact loads were much lower than what we expected."

Roberto Angelini from Thales Alenia Space was happy with the test overall: "We demonstrated what we wanted to demonstrate; free fall condition initially, you see the parachute compartment wh ere we had the extraction of the parachute system. The slings of the parachute that are covered by a thermal protection system to sustain the heat of the re-entry, we wanted to test how this thing was going to be broken. And you see here the flotation devices that are activated right after the splashdown itself. Now, if there is something we will have to fix coming out from the post review board etc we will implement it in the flight hardware."

A post-flight review confirmed Tumino's theory. The impact loads during splashdown were lower than expected – the computers recorded an impact deceleration of 29.1 m/s2, and the threshold for the flotation of the balloons was set at 30 m/s2

A lot is riding on the IXV prototype, as it represents a new chapter in space flight technology for the European Space Agency.

The idea is to have an affordable, small spacecraft that can enter near-Earth orbit and then land in a targeted zone. This test was just one step in that development. In 2014 the IXV will be launched into space on board a Vega rocket and then re-enter the atmosphere, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.

Цитироватьhttp://www.spacenews.com/article/launch-report/39933european-re-entry-experiment-progresses-toward-planned-october-launch

Europe's first atmospheric re-entry vehicle in 16 years is scheduled to complete integration here in May and then to be sent for vibration and acoustic testing before arriving at Europe's French Guiana spaceport for a planned October launch.

The Intermediate Experimental Vehicle, IXV, is designed to separate from Europe's Vega small-satellite launcher at an altitude of 320 kilometers. The vehicle will reach an apogee of some 412 kilometers and follow a low-inclination trajectory, 5 degrees relative to the equator, on its way to a re-entry and parachute-softened splashdown in the South Pacific.

ЦитироватьUnboxing IXV

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/225302.jpg)
 (6.67 MB) (http://www.esa.int/var/esa/storage/images/esa_multimedia/images/2014/07/unboxing_ixv/14601944-7-eng-GB/Unboxing_IXV.jpg)                         
           
Details

[/li]
• Title Unboxing IXV
• Released 02/07/2014 8:25 am
• Copyright ESA–Anneke Le Floc'h
• Description
  The moment when ESA's IXV Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle is removed from its protective container, safely inside the cleanroom environment of the Agency's Technical Centre.
  IXV's sleek lifting body hull gives a clue to its purpose: this November it will be launched 320 km into space on top of a Vega rocket, climbing up to 420 km before beginning a long glide back through the atmosphere.
  In the process, IXV will gather data on reentry conditions to help guide the design of future spaceplanes.
  IXV arrived at ESTEC  in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, last week (http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Launchers/Experimental_spaceplane_unboxed_for_final_tests).
  The spaceplane will now undergo a rigorous test campaign to confirm it is ready for flight. ESA's centre is the largest satellite testing facility in Europe, with everything needed to recreate every aspect of the launch and space environment under one air-conditioned roof.
  

ЦитироватьJester пишет:
VV04 with IXV currently tracking 8th of November.

ЦитироватьESA Prepares to Launch Experimental Space Plane (http://www.parabolicarc.com/2014/07/19/esa-prepares-launch-experimental-space-plane/)             
Posted by Doug Messier (http://www.parabolicarc.com/author/doug/)
on July 19, 2014, at 7:24 am in News (http://www.parabolicarc.com/category/news/)
                          
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/232294.jpg) (http://www.parabolicarc.com/2014/07/19/esa-prepares-launch-experimental-space-plane/ixv_final_tests/)
Engineers conduct final tests on ESA's Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV). (Credit: ESA)
 
PARIS (ESA PR) — All eyes are on ESA's spaceplane to showcase reentry technologies after its unconventional launch on a Vega rocket this November.
Instead of heading north into a polar orbit – as on previous flights – Vega will head eastwards to release the spaceplane into a suborbital path reaching all the way to the Pacific Ocean.
Engineers are forging ahead with the final tests on ESA's Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle, IXV, to check that it can withstand the demanding conditions from liftoff to separation from Vega.
Launched in early November, IXV will flight test the technologies and critical systems for Europe's future automated reentry vehicles returning from low orbit. This is a first for Europe and those working in the field are keeping a close watch.
 
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/232293.jpg) (http://www.parabolicarc.com/2014/07/19/esa-prepares-launch-experimental-space-plane/ixv_external_sensors/)
IXV external sensors (Credit: ESA)
 
The research and industrial community have the chance to use this information for progress in atmospheric reentry, oriented towards transportation systems with applications in exploration, science, Earth observation, microgravity and clean space.
Jose Longo, ESA's head of aerothermodynamics, said, "The technical advancements that have been made since the first experiments with our Atmospheric Reentry Demonstrator in 1996 are huge."
"This is the first flight demonstration of features such as highly advanced thermal structures: thrusters and flaps that are part of the control system, and the 300 sensors and infrared camera to map the heating all along the spacecraft from the nose to the flaps. These things just cannot be tested in the same way in laboratories."
"The fact that ESA's IXV will be launched on Vega makes this a fully European mission," noted Stefano Bianchi, ESA's head of launchers development.
 
IXV weighs almost two tonnes, close to Vega's lifting capacity, and will be a tight fit inside the vehicle's fairing.
"In this mission we are not only monitoring the spacecraft all along its autonomous flight, but also tracking its progress back to Earth to a particular spot – this is different to what we are used to," said Giorgio Tumino, ESA's IXV project manager.
When IXV splashes down in the Pacific at the end of its mission it will be recovered by ship and returned to Europe for detailed analysis to assess the performance and condition of the internal and external structures.
The actual performance will be compared with predictions to improve computer modelling of the materials used and the spaceplane's design.
Such is the enthusiasm and interest of industry in the opportunities associated with reentry technologies that the third IXV workshop in ESA's Technical Centre, ESTEC, in Noordwijk, the Netherlands was packed out last week.
"It is very encouraging to see such interest in this programme," added Giorgio. "Follow-up activities to this mission will build on the current industrial organisation and associated technologies will provide opportunities to newcomers."

 - See more at: http://www.parabolicarc.com/2014/07/19/esa-prepares-launch-experimental-space-plane/#more-52902

ЦитироватьArianespace's lightweight Vega launcher is readied for its mission with the European IXV spaceplane
 
  September 19, 2014 – Vega Flight VV04
Another lightweight Vega launcher has begun its build-up at the Spaceport, initiating preparations for Arianespace's mid-November liftoff fr om French Guiana with the European Space Agency's Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV).
The initial processing step occurred yesterday with Vega's first stage rollout.  This used a wheeled platform to transfer the solid-propellant stage from the Spaceport's Booster Integration Building to the SLV launch site. 
Once fully assembled, Vega will be ready to receive the IXV spaceplane, which is an atmospheric reentry demonstrator designed to flight test technologies and critical systems for Europe's future automated reentry systems as they return from low Earth orbit.
IXV is Europe's first spacecraft of this type, and the mission calls for a new Vega flight profile.  Instead of heading north from the Spaceport into a polar orbit as on previous launches, Vega will follow an eastward trajectory – a suborbital path that ends with a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
The IXV demonstrator features advanced aerodynamics with its lifting body design, which maximizes maneuverability. Built by Thales Alenia Space, the spaceplane integrates a sophisticated guidance, navigation and control system for the reentry phase, while a heat shield is used to withstand the heat of reentry.
November's Vega mission with IXV is designated Flight VV04 in Arianespace's launcher family numbering system – signifying the launcher's fourth mission to be performed from the Spaceport.  Previous flights were conducted in April 2014 (with the Republic of Kazakhstan's KazEOSat-1/DZZ-HR Earth observation satellite), in May 2013 (carrying a trio of satellites: Proba-V, VNREDSat-1 and ESTCube-1), and in February 2012 (with the LARES laser relativity satellite, the ALMASat-1 technology microsatellite demonstrator and seven CubeSats).

(http://www.arianespace.com/images/missionup-dates/2014/1215-1.jpg)
The transfer of Vega's first stage is shown in these photos, beginning with its rollout from the Spaceport's Booster Integration Building.  

(http://www.arianespace.com/images/missionup-dates/2014/1215-2.jpg)
(http://www.arianespace.com/images/missionup-dates/2014/1215-3.jpg)
It arrives at the SLV launch site, wh ere the multi-stage Vega will be assembled inside a protective mobile gantry.

ЦитироватьArianespace ‏@Arianespace  (https://twitter.com/Arianespace) 13m (https://twitter.com/Arianespace/status/514876024317034496)

Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle is unloaded from cargo aircraft just after dawn in French Guiana #Vega (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Vega?src=hash) #VV04 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/VV04?src=hash)

ЦитироватьEurope's IXV spaceplane is welcomed in French Guiana for its Vega launch
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/222768.jpg)
As part of its early morning unloading process in French Guiana, the Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV) is shown after being rolled off the Antonov cargo aircraft's ramp onto a flatbed trailer – which will be used for the European spaceplane's transfer by road to the Spaceport.
 
  September 24, 2014 – Vega Flight VV04
Activities for the next flight of Arianespace's light-lift Vega are now fully underway following delivery of the Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV) payload to French Guiana – joining the mission's launcher, which also is advancing in its preparations.
The IXV spaceplane – produced by Thales Alenia Space for the European Space Agency (ESA) – was transported by an Antonov cargo aircraft to Félix Eboué International Airport, located near French Guiana's capital city of Cayenne. Following the arrival, it was unloaded this morning just after dawn for transfer by road to the Spaceport.
Scheduled for a mid-November liftoff with its Vega launcher, IXV is an atmospheric reentry demonstrator that is designed to flight test technologies and critical systems for Europe's future automated reentry systems as they return from low Earth orbit.
The research and industrial community will have an opportunity to use the data collected by IXV for progress in atmospheric reentry, oriented towards transportation systems with applications in exploration, science, Earth observation, microgravity and clean space.
 November's Vega mission with IXV is designated Flight VV04 in Arianespace's numbering system, signifying the launcher's fourth mission to be performed from the Spaceport. It also will mark Vega's second flight within the ESA-managed VERTA (Vega Research and Technology Accompaniment) program to showcase this vehicle's flexibility.

ЦитироватьOctober 3, 2014 – Vega Flight VV04

Europe's Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV) spaceplane has "touched down" in the Spaceport's clean room facilities at French Guiana as processing begins for this reentry demonstrator's flight on Arianespace's lightweight Vega launcher.

The IXV, which arrived in French Guiana last month aboard a chartered cargo jetliner, is now installed on a trolley in the Spaceport's S1B payload checkout facility.

Built by Thales Alenia Space, the IXV is an atmospheric reentry demonstrator designed on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA) to flight test technologies and critical systems for future automated reentry systems as they return from low Earth orbit.

To be lofted on Vega's fourth liftoff from French Guiana – designated Flight VV04 in Arianespace's launcher family numbering system – the mission profile calls for the IXV to reach an altitude of approximately 420 km. before starting the descent. Using its aerodynamic shape, along with thrusters and two tail flaps, the spaceplane will return through the atmosphere as if reentering from a low orbit for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

ЦитироватьEuropean Re-entry Demonstrator Ready for November Test Flight  
By Jeff Foust | Oct. 3, 2014
(http://spacenews.com/sites/spacenews.com/files/styles/large/public/images/articles/IXV_ESA4X3_0.jpg)
The IXV, a lifting body about 5 meters long and weighing nearly 2,000 kilograms, is heavily instrumented to study the vehicle's performance during re-entry, including the use of ceramics and other materials in its thermal protection system. Credit: ESA artist's concept by J. Huart
 
TORONTO — An experimental European Space Agency spacecraft designed to test re-entry technologies for future reusable vehicles is on track for launch in November.
"All lights seem to be green" for the Nov. 18 launch of the Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV) on an Arianespace Vega rocket fr om Kourou, French Guiana, Giuseppe Rufolo, an ESA engineer working on the program, said in a presentation at the 65th International Astronautical Congress here Oct. 2.
The Vega will boost the IXV on a suborbital trajectory, wh ere it will reach a peak altitude of 450 kilometers before re-entering and splashing down in the central Pacific Ocean. The vehicle will reach speeds of 7.5 kilometers per second during re-entry, similar to a re-entry from low Earth orbit.
The IXV, a lifting body about 5 meters long and weighing nearly 2,000 kilograms, is heavily instrumented to study the vehicle's performance during re-entry, including the use of ceramics and other materials in its thermal protection system.
Thales Alenia Space Italia of Rome is the prime contractor for the IXV, Europe's first atmospheric re-entry vehicle in 16 years. IXV's predecessor, dubbed the Atmospheric Reentry Demonstrator, reached an altitude of about 830 kilometers before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.
ESA expects to spend roughly 200 million euros ($250 million) on the IXV, including launch.
Although the IXV is designed to test technologies that could be used on future reusable vehicles, Rufolo said this vehicle will fly only once. "It's not considered a waterproof structure, so after splashdown water will get inside," he explained. "There is no reusability requirement for IXV."
The next step after IXV is the Programme for Reusable In-orbit Demonstrator in Europe (PRIDE), which will develop a small orbital vehicle launched on a Vega to further test reusability technologies, including the ability to land on a runway autonomously.
ESA ministers approved starting work on PRIDE at their 2012 meeting. In another presentation at the conference, Camillo Richiello, a project manager at the Italian aerospace research center CIRA, said PRIDE is in "standby" at the moment, awaiting an updated framework that will come out of this December's ministerial meeting.

ЦитироватьAnother Vega launcher takes shape at the Spaceport
 
  October 9, 2014 – Vega Flight VV04
The Spaceport's SLV launch site in French Guiana is busy with activity as the fourth lightweight Vega is readied for its mission with Europe's Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV) spaceplane.
Build-up of this smallest member in Arianespace's launcher family is being performed in a vertical assembly process on the SLV launch pad, protected by a mobile gantry that will be withdrawn prior to the vehicle's liftoff. In the latest integration step this week, Vega's Zefiro 9 solid propellant third stage was installed atop its lower two solid propellant stages – which were stacked during earlier preparations.
 The mission's IXV passenger – built by Thales Alenia Space for the European Space Agency (ESA) – is an atmospheric reentry demonstrator designed to flight test technologies and critical systems for Europe's future automated reentry systems as they return from low Earth orbit.
 
(http://www.arianespace.com/images/missionup-dates/2014/1220-1.jpg)
(http://www.arianespace.com/images/missionup-dates/2014/1220-2.jpg)
Vega assembly activity is highlighted in these images from the Spaceport. The Zefiro 23 second stage is moved into position and installed atop the vehicle's P80 first stage,

(http://www.arianespace.com/images/missionup-dates/2014/1220-3.jpg)
which was followed by integration of the Zefiro 9 third stage.

ЦитироватьArianespace's Vega is "topped off" with its upper stage
 
October 15, 2014 – Vega Flight VV04
With the integration of its AVUM upper stage, Vega's basic build-up is complete for Arianespace's upcoming light-lift mission with Europe's Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV) spaceplane.
As part of Vega's vertical assembly process on the launch pad, the vehicle's AVUM (Attitude and Vernier Upper Module) – which uses liquid bi-propellant for primary maneuvering, along with cold gas for attitude control – was hoisted and mated to the three lower solid propellant stages.  
This activity occurred at the Spaceport's SLV launch site – originally used for Ariane 1 and Ariane 3 missions, with its mobile gantry, launch pad and infrastructure updated and adapted for Arianespace's new lightweight vehicle.
 The European Space Agency's IXV atmospheric reentry demonstrator – built by Thales Alenia Space – is designed to flight test technologies and critical systems for Europe's future automated reentry systems as they return from low Earth orbit.

(http://www.arianespace.com/images/missionup-dates/2014/1225-1.jpg)
The AVUM upper stage is hoisted inside its protective container for mating with Vega's lower three stages,

(http://www.arianespace.com/images/missionup-dates/2014/1225-2.jpg)
which is shown inside the mobile gantry at the Spaceport's SLV launch site.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185593.png) ESA IXV ‏@esa_ixv  (https://twitter.com/esa_ixv)
 
 Rotating @ESA_IXV (https://twitter.com/esa_ixv) for its last preparation activities in #CSG (https://twitter.com/hashtag/CSG?src=hash) clean room ....

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/155942.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/155943.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/155944.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/155945.jpg)

Цитировать(http://arianespace.com/images/feature-stories/2014/10-17-2014_2.jpg)
Parallel preparations also advanced for the next Vega mission's passenger, the European IXV spaceplane (center) to be lofted on Flight VV04.

n advanced preparation at the Spaceport is Arianespace's next launch, set for November 18 using the company's lightweight Vega vehicle to loft the European Space Agency's Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV) spaceplane.  The Italian-built Vega launcher's three solid propellant stages and its liquid bi-propellant upper stage have been integrated at the SLV launch site during the vehicle's build-up, while the IXV payload for this launch – designated VV04 – is being readied in the S1B clean room facility.

ЦитироватьThe IXV spaceplane completes a new phase of preparations ahead of its Vega launch
 
October 22, 2014 – Vega Flight VV04
Europe's Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV) spaceplane has completed another step in its pre-launch checkout process, and is now being readied for fueling ahead of the November 18 flight with Arianespace's lightweight Vega.
This activity – which included IXV's fit-check on the adapter that will serve as its interface with the Vega launcher – occurred inside the Spaceport's S1B clean room facility. Once completed, the spaceplane was moved to the S5B integration and fueling hall of the Spaceport's S5 payload preparation building, where its propellant will be loaded.
Built by Thales Alenia Space for the European Space Agency (ESA), IXV is an atmospheric reentry demonstrator designed to flight test technologies and critical systems for Europe's future automated reentry systems as they return fr om low Earth orbit.
The research and industrial community will have an opportunity to use the data collected by IXV for progress in atmospheric reentry, oriented towards transportation systems with applications in exploration, science, Earth observation, microgravity and clean space.
 November's Vega mission with IXV is designated Flight VV04 in Arianespace's numbering system, signifying the launcher's fourth mission to be performed from the Spaceport. It also will mark Vega's second flight within the ESA-managed VERTA (Vega Research and Technology Accompaniment) program to showcase this vehicle's flexibility.
 
(http://www.arianespace.com/images/missionup-dates/2014/1229-1.jpg)  
(http://www.arianespace.com/images/missionup-dates/2014/1229-2.jpg)    
The European IXV spaceplane's fit-check process, performed in the Spaceport's S1B clean room facility, is highlighted in the photo series above. This atmospheric reentry demonstrator was oriented in a vertical position and integrated atop the adapter that will serve as its interface with Vega,

(http://www.arianespace.com/images/missionup-dates/2014/1229-3.jpg)
after which the payload was returned to a horizontal state for its transfer to the S5B hall – wh ere fueling will take place.

ЦитироватьVega Flight VV04: postponed to allow additional flight trajectory analyses by ESA and CNES
 
  October 24, 2014 – Vega Flight VV04
The European Space Agency (ESA), in conjunction with French space agency CNES, has decided to carry out additional flight trajectory analyses for the Vega launch with Europe's Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV) spaceplane.
To allow the time needed to complete these analyses, the mission – originally scheduled for November 18, 2014 – has been postponed, with a new launch date to be announced as soon as possible. The timetable for the following flights will not change.
 Built by Thales Alenia Space for ESA, IXV is an atmospheric reentry demonstrator designed to flight test technologies and critical systems for Europe's future automated reentry systems as they return from low Earth orbit.

ЦитироватьThales Alenia Officials Flabbergasted as Safety Concerns Sideline IXV

By Peter B. de Selding | Oct. 30, 2014

TURIN, Italy — Thales Alenia Space Italy officials reacted with stupefaction and incredulity that their miniature spaceplane experiment's launch had been postponed indefinitely because of last-minute concerns over range safety.

These officials said their 40-strong engineering team preparing the Intermediate Experimental Vehicle (IXV) for a mid-November launch aboard a European Vega rocket — also Italian-led — had worked nights and weekends to make the November date.

The November launch, they said, would have shone a light on Italy's space technology prowess on the eve of a conference of European space ministers that will decide Europe's space station and launch vehicle future.

With Italy's government still apparently undecided about how much to invest in Vega upgrades, a new Ariane 6 heavy-lift rocket and the European share of the international space station, they said, a successful IXV flight and Pacific Ocean splashdown might have provided an important preconference impetus for further investment.

Italy's space minister attended the departure of the IXV recovery ship from Genoa. The ship is now in Panama awaiting word on whether it should turn around.

Officials attending a briefing at the company's production plant here on Europe's ExoMars two-launch mission to Mars in 2016 and 2018 — also Italian-led — declined to speculate on how much the launch delay would cost the IXV program.

The 20-nation European Space Agency, in concert with the French space agency, CNES, on Oct. 24 said the Nov. 18 launch would be delayed for an undetermined amount of time while CNES and ESA examine safety concerns about Vega's equatorial flight path as it leaves Europe's Guiana Space Center spaceport in French Guiana, which is French territory.

Vega is a four-stage vehicle whose three lower stages are solid-fueled, meaning two fully loaded solid-propellant tanks will be overflying French Guiana in the early minutes of the IXV flight.

ESA and CNES officials up to now have either declined to comment or, in the case of ESA, said they were at a loss to explain why a program whose mission profile has not changed in several years is now suddenly stalled for safety issues that in principle should have been aired and resolved long ago.

One official, saying he could not believe that the two agencies simply forgot to evaluate the safety issues, said he preferred to suspect political motives.

"Look, we are about to send a spacecraft and lander to Mars, in one year," this official said. "Europe has rendezvoused with a comet a decade after the [Rosetta comet-chaser] satellite was launched. You want me to believe that somehow the agencies just forgot to evaluate safety? That is too far-fetched. I would rather believe there is some political motive."

Europe's lead launch-vehicle nation is France, which initially balked at participating in the Vega program. A French minister said that in Europe, launch vehicles are French. The French government declined to allow the export, to Italy, of the avionics suite that guides Vega, forcing Italy to develop its own. Italy has since done so and successfully flown it on Vega.

As it stands now, one official said, France must accept the idea that with Vega, Italy has led development of a vehicle that at least in principle resembles an intercontinental ballistic missile. "Some people don't like that," this official said.

In addition to providing a flashy, if brief — IXV's mission lasts less than two hours from launch to Pacific Ocean splashdown — display of Italian space technology, a successful IXV launch was supposed to have given European governments an incentive to support a follow-on program, which up to now has received only enough funding for studies.

One industry official said ESA and CNES were aware, since June, that for some reason they had not fully vetted the Vega IXV flight plan from a range-safety point of view. Why the issue was not resolved since then remains unclear.

"It was as though the two agencies were saying, 'We'll get around to it,' and yet they never did," one official said.

Europe's Arianespace launch consortium is managing a full manifest of launches of the Ariane 5 and the Europeanized Soyuz medium-lift rocket. If it misses its Nov. 18 Vega launch date, IXV is likely to be put into storage for several months to wait for the next opportunity.

Цитироватьdenis пишет:
It's suborbital in the sense that it's going to re-enter in less than one orbit but is still close to a LEO orbit, i.e. it's more "ICBM"-style suborbital, not "3 minutes of weightlessness for pseudo-space tourist"-style!

[On a 450x0 km orbit, the velocity varies from 7.5 km/s to 8 km/s, pretty close to a circular orbit at 450km (7.6 km/s).]

 (https://forum.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/forum/file/49624)

ЦитироватьJester пишет:
IF everything is ok, new launch will be end of Jan. 2015 / begin of Feb. (mind the big IF)

ЦитироватьSalo пишет:
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=35242.msg1282920#msg1282920

ЦитироватьJester пишет:
IF everything is ok, new launch will be end of Jan. 2015 / begin of Feb. (mind the big IF)

ЦитироватьPeter B. de Selding ‏@pbdes  (https://twitter.com/pbdes) 14 minutes ago (https://twitter.com/pbdes/status/535783996488429568)

Launch of Europe's IXV suborbital unmanned space plane, scrapped in Nov for surprise range-safety concerns, now rescheduled for Feb. 11.

ЦитироватьEvry, November 21, 2014

Based on joint work by ESA and CNES, the date for the IXV mission to be launched by Vega has been set for February 11, 2015.

Arianespace will resume launch preparations in early 2015.

Цитировать14 January 2015

On its first launch of the year, Europe's Vega rocket will loft ESA's unmanned spaceplane to test reentry technologies for future vehicles.

The launch campaign has resumed, aiming for a liftoff on 11 February from Kourou, French Guiana to release ESA's Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle, IXV, into a suborbital trajectory.

This mission will provide vital flight data for Europe to forge ahead in developing systems and advanced technologies for transportation systems of the future.

On 23 October, the decision to postpone the launch was taken by the launch authorities as a result of safety concerns that required additional analysis. Finding an alternative trajectory solved the issue.

"Launch preparations have resumed," said Jose-Maria Gallego Sanz, ESA's IXV launch campaign manager. "Batteries that were removed from IXV are being taken from cold storage, charged and reinstalled. No additional tests are needed – IXV is ready to fly."

The mission will last 100 minutes from liftoff to splashdown. Weighing around two tonnes and the size of a car, IXV is a snug fit inside Vega's protective fairing. The two-piece shell will open to release the spaceplane at an altitude of 320 km.

IXV will coast to up to 420 km and then begin its reentry phase, recording a vast amount of data from a large number of conventional and advanced sensors.

The entry speed of 7.5 km/s at an altitude of 120 km will create the same conditions as those for a vehicle returning from low orbit. IXV will glide through the atmosphere at hypersonic speeds to test new European reentry technologies before parachutes deploy to slow the descent for a safe splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

The Nos Aries recovery vessel is now stationed in Flamenco Island Anchorage in Panama. Over the last month, the crew have been testing the equipment for hoisting IXV out of the water.

ESA's recovery team will board on 25 January for the ship to set sail on the last leg of its journey to the recovery spot.

ЦитироватьEurope's IXV spaceplane is "powered up" for its February 11 launch on Vega
 
  January 16, 2015 – Vega Flight VV04
Next month's flight of the light-lift Vega vehicle in Arianespace's launcher family will involve a highly unusual mission profile: a suborbital trajectory with an unmanned European spaceplane that begins in French Guiana and ends with the payload's Pacific Ocean splashdown.
Scheduled for liftoff on February 11, Vega will loft the European Space Agency's Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV), which was developed to test reentry technologies in developing systems and advanced technologies for future transportation systems.
IXV currently is in the S5B hall of the Spaceport's S5 payload preparation building, where the spaceplane has been fitted with its functional batteries and switched on.  This will be followed next week by IXV's fueling with its hydrazine maneuvering propellant.
The upcoming Vega launch – designated Flight VV04 in Arianespace's mission numbering system – will have a 100-minute duration, and marks the fourth use of this launcher since its February 2012 introduction at the Spaceport.
Weighing approximately two metric tons, IXV will be released from Vega at an altitude of 320 km., subsequently climbing to 420 km. for the start of its reentry phase.  The spaceplane's entry speed of 7.5 km/sec. will create the same conditions as those for a vehicle returning from low Earth orbit, with control at hypersonic and supersonic speeds provided by IXV's thrusters and aerodynamic flaps.
Thales Alenia Space Italia is prime contractor for IXV's space and ground segments, integrating competences from some 40 other European companies, universities and research institutes.
Preparations for Flight VV04 originally began last year, with the activity resuming earlier this month.
 The four-stage Vega launcher to be used for February 11's mission is the smallest member of Arianespace's launcher family, operated at the Spaceport along with the medium-lift Soyuz and heavy-lift Ariane 5. Vega's industrial prime contractor is ELV S.p.A. – a company created in December 2000 by Avio and the Italian Space Agency (ASI).
 

ЦитироватьFueled for launch! The IXV spaceplane receives its maneuvering propellant load ahead of next month's Vega flight  
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/222779.jpg)
The loading of IXV's hydrazine maneuvering propellant was performed inside the S5B hall at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana.
 
  January 21, 2015 – Vega Flight VV04
Europe's Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV) has been "topped off" at the Spaceport in French Guiana as preparations continue for its launch with Vega's year-opening mission on February 11.
Loading of IXV's hydrazine maneuvering propellant was performed in the S5B hall of the Spaceport's large S5 payload preparation facility. 
IXV was built for the European Space Agency (ESA) by Thales Alenia Space, and is designed to flight test technologies and critical systems for Europe's future automated reentry systems as they return from low Earth orbit.
The unmanned IXV is to be deployed into a suborbital trajectory by Vega at a 320-km. altitude. After IXV coasts up to an altitude of 420 km., it will begin the reentry phase – recording data from a large number of conventional and advanced sensors.
The entry speed of 7.5 km. per second creates the same conditions as those for a vehicle returning from low Earth orbit, with IXV subsequently descending via parachutes for a safe splashdown in the Pacific Ocean approximately 100 minutes after liftoff.
Vega's February 11 mission will mark the lightweight launcher's second flight within the European Space Agency-managed VERTA (Vega Research and Technology Accompaniment) program to showcase this vehicle's flexibility. The industrial prime contractor for Vega is ELV S.p.A. – a company created by Avio and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) in December 2000.

ЦитироватьAstro Cat пишет:
Какой в нем смысл, если он даже на полосу не садится?

Цитироватьpnetmon пишет:
а управляемые створки (flap assembly) используемые при спуске в атмосфере они первые из всех испытывают?

Цитироватьpnetmon пишет:
они первые из всех испытывают

Цитироватьpnetmon пишет:
про следующий запуск что либо известно, хоть в каком году?

ЦитироватьSOE пишет:
далеко не первоочередная цель этой программы.

ЦитироватьG.K. пишет:
А можно где-то прочитать о целях этого проекта?

ЦитироватьSOE пишет:

ЦитироватьG.K. пишет:
А можно где-то прочитать о целях этого проекта?

 http://www.esa.int/esapub/bulletin/bulletin128/bul128h_tumino.pdf
стр 65

ЦитироватьGrus пишет:

Цитироватьpnetmon пишет:
а управляемые створки (flap assembly) используемые при спуске в атмосфере они первые из всех испытывают?

На шаттлах был body flap - очень похожее решение. Или на X-38 - из недавнего.

Цитироватьpnetmon пишет: на шаттлах похожа на защиту и она одной полоской http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/technology/images/aft_fuselage_2.jpg
а тут две независимых

ЦитироватьSoon, IXV, Europe's Intermediate Experimental Vehicle, will be launched into space on a Vega launcher from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. A short but crucial mission to advance Europe's ambition to return autonomously from space.

Цитироватьche wi пишет:


 http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2015/01/IXV_installed_on_its_payload_adapter3

ЦитироватьESA Operations ‏@esaoperations  (https://twitter.com/esaoperations) 3 мин.3 минуты назад (https://twitter.com/esaoperations/status/560817990149484545)

Показать перевод

A fresh, sea-breeze view of the tracking antenna on Nos Aries, cruising toward the #IXV (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IXV?src=hash) splashdown point #Pacific (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pacific?src=hash)


(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/156049.png)
 (https://twitter.com/esaoperations/status/560817990149484545/photo/1)

ЦитироватьАлександр Ч. пишет:
A fresh, sea-breeze view of the tracking antenna on Nos Aries, cruising toward the #IXV (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IXV?src=hash) splashdown point #Pacific (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pacific?src=hash)

ЦитироватьEurope's IXV spaceplane is "packed" for its February 11 suborbital flight with the Vega launcher
 
  January 28, 2015 – Vega Flight VV04
Preparations are moving forward for next month's Vega flight, with its Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV) passenger now integrated in the lightweight launcher's payload fairing.
During activity at the Spaceport's S5 payload preparation facility on Monday, IXV was installed on the cone-shaped adapter that serves as its interface with Vega – the smallest member of Arianespace's launch vehicle family.  Today, IXV was encapsulated inside Vega's payload fairing, which will be followed by the completed unit's transfer to the ELA-1 complex for integration atop its launch vehicle.
 IXV is an atmospheric reentry demonstrator designed to flight test technologies and critical systems for Europe's future automated reentry systems on their return from low Earth orbit.  Built by Thales Alenia Space for the European Space Agency (ESA), IXV will be deployed into a suborbital trajectory by Vega – from which this unmanned spaceplane will record data using a large number of conventional and advanced sensors before its splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
 The upcoming mission – designated Flight VV04 in Arianespace's numbering system – is scheduled for February 11, and will be the fourth use of Vega since its February 2012 introduction at the Spaceport.
 As the first liftoff of an Arianespace launch vehicle family member in 2015, this will initiate another busy year of mission activity for the company with its light-lift Vega, medium-weight Soyuz and heavy-lift Ariane 5. 
 ELV S.p.A. – a company created by Avio and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) – is the industrial prime contractor for Vega. 

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/222780.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/222781.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/222782.jpg)    
Integration of the Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV) on its payload interface adapter is shown with this photo series at  the Spaceport.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/222783.jpg)
A perfect fit!  Vega's two-piece payload fairing is closed around the Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV) by personnel working in the Spaceport's S5 facility.

ЦитироватьESA IXV ‏@esa_ixv
@esa IXV and Vega finally together for the last preparation phase!

(https://forum.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/forum/file/52605) (https://forum.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/forum/file/52607) (https://forum.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/forum/file/52606)

ЦитироватьГенеральный директор Европейского космического агентства Жан-Жак Дорден: трасса европейского экспериментального космического аппарата IXV "пройдет очень далеко от территории России"
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/231171.jpg)

     - Будет ли трасса полета европейского экспериментального космического аппарата  IXV проходить над Россией, или ЕКА использует другую траекторию?
  
     - Промежуточное экспериментальное транспортное средство (The Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle) IXV планируется к запуску 11 февраля с.г. с помощью ракеты-носителя "Вега". Полет будет проходить по траектории, близкой к экваториальной, с наклонением в 5 градусов. Таким образом, это будет очень далеко от территории России. Схема полета, представленная на нашем сайте и изображающая полет IXV над планисферой, может создать ошибочное впечатление, что космический самолет должен лететь над Россией.
 
    IXV будет выведен на суборбитальную траекторию и отделится от ракеты-носителя "Вега" на высоте 320 км. Затем он достигнет высоты в 450 км, что позволит ему достичь скорости в 7,5 км в секунду при обратном входе в атмосферу на высоте 120 км. Такая  скорость характерна для всех аппаратов, возвращающихся на Землю с низкой орбиты. Это позволит собрать большой объем данных в ходе полета на гиперзвуковых и сверхзвуковых скоростях, когда управление космическим аппаратом будет осуществляться с помощью рулевых двигателей и аэродинамических закрылков.
 
     Затем будет развернут парашют с тем, чтобы замедлить его скорость спуска перед  последующим приводнением в Тихом океане. Полученные в ходе снижения и посадки данные будут проанализированы. Вся миссия продлится примерно 1 час 40 минут. Когда после завершения миссии IXV приводнится в Тихом океане, его подберет специальное судно. Затем аппарат будет доставлен в Европу для детального анализа с целью оценки состояния его внешней поверхности и конструктивных элементов.

ЦитироватьVega receives the Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle payload for its February 11 suborbital mission
 
  February 2, 2015 – Vega Flight VV04
The fourth Vega has completed its build-up at the Spaceport in French Guiana, preparing this lightweight member of Arianespace's launcher family for final checkout ahead of its February 11 liftoff with the European Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV) spaceplane.
This assembly process was concluded during the weekend with integration of the unmanned IXV, enclosed in its protective payload fairing, atop the launcher. Installation took place inside the mobile gantry at the Spaceport's ZLV launch site for Vega.
The upcoming Vega mission is designated Flight VV04 in Arianespace's numbering system, and it will mark the launcher's second flight within the European Space Agency-managed VERTA (Vega Research and Technology Accompaniment) program to showcase this vehicle's flexibility and versatility.
Its IXV passenger – built for the European Space Agency by Thales Alenia Space – will test reentry technologies that can be used in developing systems and advanced technologies for future transportation systems. IXV is to be deployed by Vega into a suborbital trajectory on a mission that will last approximately 100 minutes fr om liftoff to the spaceplane's splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, wh ere it is to be picked up by a recovery ship.
Vega is one of three launchers operated by Arianespace from French Guiana, along with the medium-lift Soyuz and heavyweight Ariane 5. Industrial prime contractor for Vega is ELV S.p.A. – a company created in December 2000 by Avio and the Italian Space Agency (ASI).
 The February 11 mission will be the first liftoff of an Arianespace launcher family member in 2015, initiating another busy year of flight activity for the company.
 
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/222784.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/222785.jpg)
The Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV) – which is enclosed in its protective payload fairing – is mated atop the lightweight Vega member of Arianespace's launch vehicle family at the Spaceport in French Guiana.

ЦитироватьThe fourth Vega has completed its build-up at the Spaceport in French Guiana, preparing this lightweight member of Arianespace's launcher family for final checkout ahead of its February 11 liftoff with the European Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV) spaceplane.

This assembly process was concluded during the weekend with integration of the unmanned IXV, enclosed in its protective payload fairing, atop the launcher. Installation took place inside the mobile gantry at the Spaceport's ZLV launch site for Vega.

Спойлер

The upcoming Vega mission is designated Flight VV04 in Arianespace's numbering system, and it will mark the launcher's second flight within the European Space Agency-managed VERTA (Vega Research and Technology Accompaniment) program to showcase this vehicle's flexibility and versatility.

Its IXV passenger – built for the European Space Agency by Thales Alenia Space – will test reentry technologies that can be used in developing systems and advanced technologies for future transportation systems. IXV is to be deployed by Vega into a suborbital trajectory on a mission that will last approximately 100 minutes fr om liftoff to the spaceplane's splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, wh ere it is to be picked up by a recovery ship.

Vega is one of three launchers operated by Arianespace from French Guiana, along with the medium-lift Soyuz and heavyweight Ariane 5. Industrial prime contractor for Vega is ELV S.p.A. – a company created in December 2000 by Avio and the Italian Space Agency (ASI).

The February 11 mission will be the first liftoff of an Arianespace launcher family member in 2015, initiating another busy year of flight activity for the company.

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьGreen light! Vega is approved for this week's suborbital mission with the European IXV spaceplane  
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/222787.jpg)
This photo provides an inside look at the launch readiness review for Vega Flight VV04, which was conducted February 9 in Arianespace's operations building at the Spaceport in French Guiana.
 
  February 9, 2015 – Vega Flight VV04
The lightweight Vega member of Arianespace's launch vehicle family has been given the "all clear" for liftoff on February 11 with its European Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV) payload.
This approval was announced after today's successful launch readiness review, which is a regular step before each flight of an Arianespace launcher fr om French Guiana. It confirmed that the Vega and IXV passenger are flight-ready, along with the Spaceport's infrastructure and the tracking stations for its suborbital trajectory.
The upcoming mission is designated Flight VV04 in Arianespace's numbering system and will mark the launcher's second flight within the European Space Agency-managed VERTA (Vega Research and Technology Accompaniment) program. It will be performed from the Spaceport's ZLV launch site – wh ere the Vega was assembled and now stands in a flight-ready configuration, protected by a mobile gantry that will be rolled back beginning at 2 hrs. 40 min. prior to liftoff.
With today's readiness review completed, all is set for the Vega's departure during a 1-hr., 43-min. scheduled launch window that opens on February 11 at 10:00 a.m. local time in French Guiana.
The IXV payload – built for the European Space Agency by Thales Alenia Space – will test reentry technologies that can be used in developing systems and advanced technologies for future transportation systems. After lifting off from South America, Vega will deploy it into a trajectory reaching a maximum altitude of approximately 420 km.  During the mission, IXV will fly a fully autonomous profile, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean approximately 100 minutes after liftoff, with the unmanned spaceplane subsequently being picked up by a recovery ship.
Vega is one of three launchers operated by Arianespace at the Spaceport, along with the medium-lift Soyuz and heavyweight Ariane 5. The Vega vehicle's industrial prime contractor is ELV S.p.A., a company created by Avio and the Italian Space Agency (ASI).
 
Launch window for  Vega Flight VV04
Universal time (GMT) Between 1:00 p.m. and 2:43 p.m. on February 11, 2015

ЦитироватьA0041/15 - TEMPORARY DANGEROUS AREA ACTIVATED DUE TO ROCKET LAUNCHING VEGA ZA/VV04. LATERAL LIMITS AS FOLLOWS QUADRILATERAL: 0548N04858W 0543N04858W 0536N04952W 0541N04952W. AMSL - UNL, DAILY 1200-1543, 11 FEB 12:00 2015 UNTIL 11 MAR 15:43 2015. CREATED: 28 JAN 15:46 2015

NAVAREA IV 106/15 
 WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.
 FRENCH GUIANA.
 ROCKETS.
 1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS 1250Z TO 1513Z DAILY
 11 FEB THRU 11 MAR IN AREA BOUND BY
 05-18.00N 052-47.40W, 05-22.54N 052-28.46W,
 05-15.63N 052-20.83W, 05-05.22N 052-29.76W,
 05-10.45N 052-38.45W.
 2. CANCEL THIS MSG 111613Z MAR 15.//
 Authority: AVUNAV CAYENNE 06/15 061151Z FEB 15.
 Date: 061356Z Feb 15
 Cancel: 11161300 Mar 15

HYDROLANT 315/15 
 WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.
 BRAZIL-NORTH COAST.
 HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS.
 DNC 01.
 1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS 110001Z TO 112359Z FEB
 IN AREA BOUND BY
 05-40.80N 049-51.60W, 05-36.00N 049-51.00W,
 05-43.20N 048-58.20W, 05-48.00N 048-58.80W.
 2. CANCEL THIS MSG 120059Z FEB 15.//
 Authority: NAVAREA V 55/15 062338Z FEB 15.
 Date: 071247Z Feb 15
 Cancel: 12005900 Feb 15

HYDROLANT 306/15
 NORTH ATLANTIC.
 BRAZIL-NORTH COAST.
 DNC 01.
 HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS.
 1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS 111200Z FEB TO 111543Z MAR
 IN AREA BOUND BY
 05-43N 048-58W, 05-36N 049-52W,
 05-41N 049-52W, 05-48N 048-58W,
 06-06N 040-33W, 06-11N 038-40W,
 06-02N 038-40W, 05-57N 040-32W.
 2. CANCEL THIS MSG 111643Z MAR 15.//
 Authority: NAVAREA V 53/15 060020Z FEB 15.
 Date: 060108Z Feb 15
 Cancel: 11164300 Mar 15

HYDROPAC 430/15
 INDIAN OCEAN.
 ROCKETS.
 DNC 03.
 1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS 11 FEB THRU 11 MAR:
 A. 1248Z TO 1647Z DAILY IN AREA BOUND BY
 03-08S 075-53E, 03-43S 075-50E,
 02-23S 061-29E, 01-48S 061-32E.
 B. 1430Z TO 1829Z DAILY IN AREA BOUND BY
 04-36S 091-09E, 04-59S 091-07E,
 04-38S 081-23E, 04-02S 081-25E.
 2. CANCEL THIS MSG 111929Z MAR 15.//
 Authority: NAVAREA VIII 90/15 061001Z FEB 15.
 Date: 061136Z Feb 15
 Cancel: 11192900 Mar 15

NAVAREA XII 56/15 
 EASTERN NORTH PACIFIC.
 HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS.
 1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS 1303Z TO 2228Z DAILY
 11 FEB THRU 11 MAR IN AREA BETWEEN
 03-41N 02-53N AND 123-29W 122-42W.
 2. CANCEL THIS MSG 112328Z MAR 15.//
 Authority: MARINE GUYANE VEGA VV04 291456Z JAN 15.
 Date: 090812Z Feb 15
 Cancel: 11232800 Mar 15

ЦитироватьThe launch is scheduled for 13:00 GMT (14:00 CET) atop a Vega rocket from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. Streaming starts at 12:45 GMT (13:45 CET)

On 11 February, follow the mission live starting 12:30 GMT (13:30 CET) via Arianespace TV and ESA TV (http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Launchers/IXV/Watch_IXV_launch).

ЦитироватьЗапуск экспериментального аппарата IXV состоится с космодрома Куру

00:32 11.02.2015 (обновлено: 00:49 11.02.2015)
IXV (Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle - промежуточный экспериментальный аппарат) поднимется на высоту 420 километров, а затем осуществит полностью автоматический вход в атмосферу на скорости 7,5 километров в секунду.

МАДРИД, 11 фев — РИА Новости. Европейский экспериментальный беспилотный суборбитальный многоразовый космический корабль IXV будет запущен в среду с космодрома Куру (Французская Гвиана) с помощью модифицированной четырехступенчатой легкой ракеты-носителя Vega.

IXV (Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle — промежуточный экспериментальный аппарат) был создан Европейским космическим агентством (ЕКА) для отработки технологий, которые планируется использовать для создания новых космических аппаратов многоразового использования.

ЕКА намерено провести испытания технологии возвращения IXV с околоземной орбиты.

Запуск корабля запланирован на 14:00 по центрально-европейскому времени (CET, 16:00 мск). Полет продлится около 100 минут. IXV поднимется на высоту 420 километров, наклонение суборбитальной траектории его полета составит два градуса. Аппарат пролетит по баллистической траектории, а затем осуществит полностью автоматический вход в атмосферу на скорости 7,5 километров в секунду. При помощи парашюта произойдет спуск IXV в Тихий океан, откуда будет эвакуирован на корабле.

Изначально испытания планировалось провести осенью прошлого года, но они были перенесены на февраль с тем, чтобы добиться оптимальной траектории полета.

Стоимость разработки корабля, в которых участвовали Итальянское космическое агентство ASI, а также Бельгия, Франция, Ирландия, Португалия, Испания и Швейцария, составила 150 миллионов евро. Всего в разработках участвуют 40 европейских предприятий. Первые разработки подобных аппаратов начались еще в 2002 году в рамках программы "Эксперт".

Аппарат имеет размеры всего 5 метров длины, 2,2 метра ширины, и 1,5 метра высоты. Его вес около двух тонн, питание осуществляется благодаря специальным батареям. IXV имеет особо прочные теплозащитные покрытия. На аппарате установлены 300 датчиков, которые позволят специалистам создать карту нагрева его поверхности.

Ранее европейские специалисты проводили предстартовые испытания IXV. В июле была проведена проверка возможностей корабля при работе в жестких космических условиях, механизмы отделения аппарата от ракеты-носителя Vega. Были проанализированы работа двигателей, клапанов, инфракрасной камеры и функционирование около 300 датчиков в условиях нагрева корабля. В ходе испытаний аппарат был сброшен с высоты три тысячи метров с борта вертолета — это позволило IXV развить планируемую скорость, необходимую для раскрытия парашюта, замедляющего полет.

РИА Новости

ЦитироватьVega enters the countdown for its February 11 flight with Europe's IXV spaceplane
 
  February 10, 2015 – Vega Flight VV04
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/222788.jpg)
 The countdown is underway for Vega's flight with the European Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV), with liftoff scheduled during a 1-hr., 43-min. launch window that opens on February 11 at 10:00 a.m. local time in French Guiana.
This lightweight member of Arianespace's launch vehicle family now stands in a flight-ready configuration at the Spaceport's ZLV launch site – where it is protected by a mobile gantry that will be rolled back beginning at 2 hrs., 40 min. prior to liftoff.
Designated Flight VV04 in Arianespace's numbering system, the mission will mark Vega's second within the European Space Agency-managed VERTA (Vega Research and Technology Accompaniment) program to showcase this vehicle's flexibility and versatility.
The industrial prime contractor for Vega – which is one of three launchers operated by Arianespace from French Guiana, along with the medium-lift Soyuz and heavyweight Ariane 5 – is ELV S.p.A., a company created in December 2000 by Avio and the Italian Space Agency (ASI).
During the upcoming flight, IXV – an unmanned spaceplane built for the European Space Agency by Thales Alenia Space – will be deployed by Vega into a suborbital trajectory that ends with the payload's splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, after which it will be picked up by a recovery ship.
The research and industrial community will have an opportunity to use the IXV's atmospheric reentry data for future applications in exploration, science, Earth observation, microgravity and clean space.

ЦитироватьSOE пишет:

Усе, собрался.

ЦитироватьESA @esa (https://twitter.com/esa) · 6m ago (https://twitter.com/esa/status/565457876538626048)

Mobile gantry withdrawal complete for Vega #VV04 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/VV04?src=hash) and #IXV (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IXV?src=hash).

ЦитироватьLanista пишет:
А циклограмма полета была?

ЦитироватьSpaceflight Now ‏@SpaceflightNow  (https://twitter.com/SpaceflightNow) 17 сек.18 секунд назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceflightNow/status/565495997695270912)

Показать перевод

There is some time to resolve the problem in the Vega launch countdown. Window extends to 1443 GMT (9:43am EST). #IXV (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IXV?src=hash) http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/02/10/vv04-mission-status-center/ ... (http://t.co/gQQJSJISwu)

ЦитироватьВВК пишет:
написали причина СК я правильно понял?

ЦитироватьESA Operations ‏@esaoperations  (https://twitter.com/esaoperations) 1m ago (https://twitter.com/esaoperations/status/565496791953862656)

RT @esa_ixv (https://twitter.com/esa_ixv): Countdown on hold, launch base red, we'll keep you posted. #IXV (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IXV?src=hash) #VV04 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/VV04?src=hash)

ЦитироватьSOE пишет:
Очень удачно остановили - на IXV ИНС успели оставить в состоянии, в котором она не "уходит".

Цитировать http://tass.ru/kosmos/1759221
Первые результаты сегодняшних испытаний обнародуют через полтора месяца. Полученная информация будет использоваться при разработке европейского многоразового транспортного орбитального корабля PRIDE. Его первый полноценный орбитальный полет ожидается не ранее 2018 года.

Цитировать http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Launchers/IXV/Call_for_Media_ESA_s_experimental_spaceplane_set_for_flight/
The initial results from the flight are expected to be released around six weeks later.
The results will feed the Programme for Reusable In-Orbit Demonstrator for Europe, or Pride, which is being studied under funding decided at ESA's last two Ministerial Councils. The reusable Pride spaceplane would be launched on Europe's Vega light rocket, orbit and land automatically on a runway.

Цитировать1258 GMT (7:58 a.m. EST)
 The problem that caused the hold in the Vega countdown appears to be a ground system issue.
Today's launch window extends to 1443 GMT (9:43 a.m. EST), so there is some time to resolve the problem.

Цитироватьpnetmon пишет:
или в реальных планах сейчас что-то есть на 2018-2019 год?

Цитироватьprofan пишет:
Разгонный блок Южмашевский?

Цитироватьche wi пишет:
А какая там сейчас температура "на дворе"?

ЦитироватьESA Operations ‏@esaoperations  (https://twitter.com/esaoperations) 5s5 seconds ago (https://twitter.com/esaoperations/status/565510947155243009)

Libreville station (Gabon) has acquired signals from #IXV (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IXV?src=hash) #AOS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/AOS?src=hash)

ЦитироватьReplay of the liftoff of Vega VV04 with ESA's Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle, IXV, launched from Kourou, French Guiana on 11 February 2015.

IXV was launched 340 km into space atop a Vega rocket, VV04, from Kourou in French Guiana on 11 February 2015. After separation from Vega, IXV coasted to 412 km before beginning a punishing glide back through the atmosphere. During its autonomous flight, IXV tested the latest technologies and critical systems to extend Europe's capability for space exploration.

ЦитироватьESA Operations ‏@esaoperations  (https://twitter.com/esaoperations) 50s ago (https://twitter.com/esaoperations/status/565520958698831875)

#IXV (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IXV?src=hash) flight director Billig: We didn't find anything strange yet - all looks green, both on space & ground systems. Reentry in ~5min

ЦитироватьESA Operations ‏@esaoperations  (https://twitter.com/esaoperations) 17s ago (https://twitter.com/esaoperations/status/565526189260177410)

RECEIPT OF SIGNAL #AOS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/AOS?src=hash) #NosAries (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NosAries?src=hash) recovery ship has established contact with #IXV (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IXV?src=hash) after fiery reentry at 27,000km/hour

ЦитироватьESA Operations ‏@esaoperations  (https://twitter.com/esaoperations) 27s ago (https://twitter.com/esaoperations/status/565530627911741440)

SPLASHDOWN! Welcome back, #IXV (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IXV?src=hash)! #100minutemission (https://twitter.com/hashtag/100minutemission?src=hash)

Цитироватьche wi пишет:
4-ю ступень (AVUM) уже свели, не в курсе?

ЦитироватьESA запустило экспериментальный суборбитальный корабль IXV (http://www.popmech.ru/technologies/55085-esa-zapuskaet-eksperimentalnyy-suborbitalnyy-korabl-ixv/)

ЦитироватьПервые результаты сегодняшних испытаний будут опубликованы после тщательного анализа примерно через полтора месяца.

Цитировать http://lenta.ru/articles/2015/02/11/esa/
В Союзе с Прогрессом
ЕКА впервые запустило многоразовый космический корабль IXV

ЦитироватьОжидается, что IXV после завершения испытаний и анализа полета будет модернизирован в новый транспортный корабль PRIDE (Program for Reusable In-orbit Demonstrator in Europe), старт которого ЕКА запланировало на 2018 год.
....
ЕКА имеет опыт создания и успешной эксплуатации транспортных кораблей. Так, с марта 2008 года по июль 2014-го агентство пять раз отправляло в космос автоматические грузовики ATV (http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_Spaceflight/ATV/Mission_concept_and_the_role_of_ATV) (Automated Transfer Vehicle).
....
В отличие от ATV, аппарат IXV является многоразовым кораблем. С ним ЕКА связывает большие надежды на развитие сложных орбитальных транспортных систем, в частности, пилотируемой космонавтики. Ведь преемника Ariane 5 ЕКА планирует разработать и запустить уже в 2020 году. И тут европейцам очень бы пригодился уже готовый новый транспортный грузовик.

Цитировать*

Цитировать‏@SpaceflightNow 36 мин
Fire in the hole! Photos of Europe's Vega rocket firing away from the Amazon jungle Wednesday: http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/02/12/photos-vega-rocket-fires-away-from-jungle-spaceport/ ... (http://t.co/8Eenn80lBJ)
 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/156070.jpg) (https://twitter.com/SpaceflightNow/status/565732300651245568/photo/1)
  (https://twitter.com/SpaceflightNow/status/565732300651245568/photo/1)

ЦитироватьSOE пишет:
С корабля визуально наблюдали купол в бинокли, видео в живую не передавали - бесполезно.

Цитироватьnapalm пишет:
Я думал будет ИК крупным планом на входе

Цитировать

Прототип универсального космического мини-самолёта IXV (Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/IXV), или Промежуточный экспериментальный летательный аппарат) успешно завершил свой первый испытательный полёт, приводнившись в волны Тихого океана (http://www.esa.int/var/esa/storage/images/esa_multimedia/images/2015/02/ixv_recovery4/15253332-2-eng-GB/IXV_recovery_node_full_image_2.jpg).

На вид IXV напоминает уменьшенную версию американского космического шаттла (https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A1%D0%BF%D0%B5%D0%B9%D1%81_%D1%88%D0%B0%D1%82%D1%82%D0%BB): его длина всего около 5 метров, а вес – около двух тонн. Питание аппарата осуществляется с помощью аккумуляторов. Также он оснащён теплозащитными покрытиями и 300 датчиками, которые сообщают операторам о нагреве.

Максимальная высота, на которую может подняться аппарат, – 450 километров, максимальная скорость, которую он может развить, – 7,7 километра в секунду. На базе этого аппарата специалисты Европейского космического агентства (ESA) планируют создать многоразовый транспортный космический корабль (http://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=2148139).

IXV стартовал (http://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=2346520) вместе с ракетой-носителем Vega с космодрома Куру во Французской Гвиане 11 февраля 2015 года в 13.40 по Гринвичу. Самолёт отделился от ракеты-носителя на высоте около 320 километров и поднялся ещё на 100 километров уже с помощью собственных двигателей.

При обратном входе в атмосферу скорость аппарата достигла 7,5 километра в секунду. На последней стадии полёта была активирована система парашютов, которая обеспечила мягкую посадку аппарата.

Температура поверхности корабля при полёте достигла 1700 градусов Цельсия. Прототип приводнился в воды Тихого океана, к западу от Галапагосских островов около 15.20 по Гринвичу (18.20 по Москве).

ЦитироватьThe AVUM was definitely on orbit - the commentator mentioned getting its telemetry on the first pass over Kourou. I estimate it made 1.1 orbits before the deorbit burn. So I think it was a successful intended orbital launch of a rocket stage with no payload (and dropped off a transatmospheric payload on the way up).

Now what you think about the IXV is a matter of definition. It did not complete 1 orbit so by the old COSPAR/NORAD rules it wouldn't get a designation. Similar to say Apollo AS-202, more than 180 deg of longitude, perigee positive but not outside the atmosphere. So I have it in a special category that is not regular orbital, but not ordinary suborbital either. I refer to this category as 'marginally orbital' or 'transatmospheric'.

Another factor - historically US tracking of LEO equatorial orbits sucked. With the radar on Kwajalein since the 1990s that should no longer be true. But no AVUM TLEs released so I expect they will not catalog it. In that case I will add the launch to my 'U' series of unnumbered orbital-energy launches and make it 2015-U01.

Цитироватьanik пишет:
В http://www.arianespace.com/images/launch-kits/launch-kit-pdf-eng/VV04-launchkit-GB.pdf было заявлено, что AVUM после отделения IXV должен выполнить два включения: первое на 31-й минуте полета (длительность - 16 секунд) и второе - на 109-й минуте (59 секунд).

По оценке Джонатана МакДауэлла ( http://planet4589.org/space/jsr/latest.html ) после первого из вышеуказанных включений ADUM должен был выйти на круговую орбиту высотой 400 км и нулевым наклонением.

ЦитироватьSOE пишет:
Я не очень понимаю, почему вам это интересно, ну раз уж..
AVUM после 2го включения был на орбите (грубо говоря) 220x430 км, наклонение не припомню, чтобы менялось существенно. Третье было в зоне видимости Вознесение, в атмосферу вошел в Индийском океане.

ЦитироватьSOE пишет:
А в ЕКА-то и не в курсе, что аппарат многоразовый....

ЦитироватьЕКА завершает тестирования космического самолета ІХV

Вчера космический самолет ІХV (The Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle), возвращенный на Землю Европейским космическим агентством, прибыл в итальянский порт Ливорно. Отсюда он будет транспортирован в Турин для заключительного анализа. Инженеры протестируют оборудование на возможность многократного использования, а также проверят воздействие температуры, давления и силы удара во время полета.

11 января был успешно произведен запуск космического аппарата IXV с помощью итальянской ракеты-носителя Vega. Аппарат стартовал с космодрома во французской Гвиане и приводнился в Тихом океане после ста минут полета.

Данный эксперимент стал значимым шагом в развитии спускаемых аппаратов, приблизившим ученых к их цели.

Миссия IXV Европейского космического агентства стала первым полетом спускаемого аппарата с момента запуска модуля Atmospheric Reentry Demonstrator capsule, состоявшегося в 1998 году. Результаты новой миссии внесли свои коррективы в некоторые характеристики аппарата. Изменений претерпели грузоподъемность модуля, закрылки и двигатели, а также были добавлены около 300 датчиков и инфракрасные камеры. Это позволит достичь более точной посадки и позволит полностью контролировать вход в атмосферу. По словам исследователей миссии, реальный запуск не имел существенных отличий от того, что они наблюдали в процессе моделирования.

Результаты миссии ІХV могут сделать возможным повторное использование ракетных ступеней и удешевить полеты в космос.

В этом году ІХV предстанет на суд широкой общественности в рамках различных мероприятий, которые будут проходить в Европе. Конечным пунктом назначения является технологический центр ESTEC Европейского космического агентства, расположенный в Нидерландах.

ЕКА планирует начать использовать многоразовые космические корабли в 2020 году.