EO·Atlas
Arianespace Vega C
Vega-C is a four-stage European small-to-medium launch vehicle, standing 34.8 m tall and capable of delivering 2,300 kg to a 700 km sun-synchronous orbit (SSO)[1], with 2,500 kg to a 500 km polar orbit[1]. The first three stages use solid propellants (P120C, Zefiro-40, Zefiro-9); the fourth stage, AVUM+, uses liquid propellants and is reignitable for precise orbit injection.[1][2] The vehicle first flew on 13 July 2022[1]. A Zefiro-40 nozzle erosion anomaly on the VV22 mission in December 2022 grounded the vehicle until December 2024[3]. Avio was announced to take over direct commercialisation of Vega-C from Arianespace, with the transition planned for end-2025.[2]
Vega-C returned to flight in December 2024 carrying Sentinel-1C[3] and subsequently launched the ESA BIOMASS mission in April 2025[4]. The vehicle is active as of mid-2026, with three flights completed.[2] Payloads are launched from the Guiana Space Centre (ELA-1), Kourou, French Guiana[1].
Supply chain position
- [1]Vega-C, ESA Space Transportationoperator engineering2026-06-16
- [2]Vega C, Wikipediacommunity2026-06-16
- [3]Vega-C returns to flight with Sentinel-1C, NASASpaceFlight.com, Dec 2024community2026-06-16
- [4]ESA Biomass launches aboard Vega-C, NASASpaceFlight.com, Apr 2025community2026-06-16
How to cite this page
Plain text
Arianespace Vega C. EO-Atlas, SpectraWorks B.V. https://eo-atlas.org/launch_services/arianespace-vega-c (CC BY 4.0)
BibTeX
@misc{eoatlas:launch_services:arianespace-vega-c,
title = {Arianespace Vega C},
author = {{EO-Atlas}},
publisher = {SpectraWorks B.V.},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
url = {https://eo-atlas.org/launch_services/arianespace-vega-c}
}