Vega-C
ActiveAvio S.p.A (Avio)
July 13, 2022
Description
Vega-C is a single-body rocket nearly 35 m high with that weighs 210 tonnes on the launch pad. As with Vega, its main elements are three solid-propellant stages, an upper stage powered by a reignitable liquid-propellant engine and a payload fairing. Vega-C's P120C first stage replaces Vega’s smaller P80 to provide a significant increase in thrust at liftoff. It is also used as boosters (2 or 4) for the Ariane 6 rocket.
Specifications
-
Stages
4 -
Length
34.8 m -
Diameter
3.0 m -
Fairing Diameter
3.3 m -
Launch Mass
210.0 T -
Thrust
2974.0 kN
Family
-
Name
Vega-C -
Family
― -
Variant
― -
Alias
― -
Full Name
Vega-C
Payload Capacity
-
Launch Cost
$48000000 -
Low Earth Orbit
3300.0 kg -
Geostationary Transfer
Orbit
― -
Direct Geostationary
― -
Sun-Synchronous Capacity
2230.0 kg
Avio S.p.A
Commercial
CEO: Giulio Ranzo
Avio 1908Avio S.p.A. is an Italian company operating in the aerospace sector with its head office in Colleferro near Rome, Italy. Founded in 1908, it is present in Italy and abroad with different commercial offices and 10 production sites.
Upcoming Spaceflights
Vega-C | Sentinel-3C & FLEX
Avio S.p.A | ItalyGuiana Space Centre, French Guiana
TBD September, 2026
Status: To Be Determined
Mission:
Sentinel-3C is the third satellite in the Sentinel-3 constellation, which provides high-accuracy optical, radar and altimetry data for marine and land services. The Fluorescence Explorer (FLEX) satellite is a part of ESA's Earth Explorer program. The satellite will map vegetation fluorescence to quantify photosynthetic activity.
Sun-Synchronous OrbitVega-C | KOMPSAT-6 & PLATiNO 1
Avio S.p.A | ItalyGuiana Space Centre, French Guiana
TBD November, 2026
Status: To Be Determined
Mission:
Korean Multi-purpose Satellite 6 (KOMPSAT-6) is the sixth South Korean Earth observation satellite of the KOMPSAT series. It is equipped with a synthetic aperture radar with a ground resolution between 0.5 and 20 meters. PLATiNO 1 is an experimental X-band SAR earth observation satellite project by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), with a radar payload from Thales Alenia Space Italia. The X-band SAR will first operate in passive mode at 619 km altitude, then in active mode after the satellites moves lower to a 410 km orbit.
Sun-Synchronous OrbitVega-C | IRIDE 1
Avio S.p.A | ItalyGuiana Space Centre, French Guiana
TBD December, 2026
Vega-C | IRIDE 2
Avio S.p.A | ItalyGuiana Space Centre, French Guiana
TBD December, 2026
Vega-C | Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE)
Avio S.p.A | ItalyGuiana Space Centre, French Guiana
May 19, 2026, 3:52 a.m.
Vega-C | KOMPSAT-7
Avio S.p.A | ItalyGuiana Space Centre, French Guiana
Dec. 1, 2025, 5:21 p.m.
Vega-C | CO3D & MicroCarb
Avio S.p.A | ItalyGuiana Space Centre, French Guiana
July 26, 2025, 2:03 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
CO3D is a CNES-Airbus Defence & Space constellation of four small satellites designed to map the globe in 3D from low Earth to serve public and private sector needs. Microcarb is a small satellite designed to map sources and sinks of carbon dioxide (CO2)—the most important greenhouse gas — on a global scale.
Sun-Synchronous OrbitLong March 2D
4 x SatNet test satellites
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Falcon 9
Starlink Group 17-41
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USAA batch of 24 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
Atlas V 551
Amazon Leo (LA-07)
Space Launch Complex 41 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USAAmazon Leo, formerly known as Project Kuiper, is a mega constellation of satellites in Low Earth Orbit that will offer broadband internet access, thi…
Falcon 9
Starlink Group 10-53
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USAA batch of 29 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
Long March 7A
TJSW-24
201 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of ChinaChinese classified satellite claimed to be for communication technology test purposes. Actual mission not known.
