véhicule de référence multi-étage

CONT: Europa 2 permettra de lancer un satellite de 360 kg simulant Symphonie [...] Le moteur d'apogée ne sera pas utilisé pour circulariser l'orbite à 36000 km. Un tir d'essai avec un véhicule VRME (Véhicule de Référence Multi-Étage) est prévu en novembre à Kourou sur la base BEC de l'ELDO.

OBS: In the performance of a system study for configuration development and propulsion system trades, it is imperative to have a good baseline configuration or reference vehicle. This vehicle should be relatively well characterized and be compatible with the configuration and propulsion systems to be compared. The maturity of the reference vehicle design and analyses must be such that the sensitivity to a given technology will be evident when it is installed. If the reference design is poorly substained, changes in propulsion technology may not show significant impact to the vehicle. Likewise, the level of analytical effort applied to characterize a new propulsion system must be compatible with efforts applied to the reference vehicle. Address these issues and mitigate the risks through appropriate design changes ...