Vega (rocket)

Vega
Vega's VV05 before liftoff with Sentinel-2A
FunctionSmall-lift launch vehicle
ManufacturerAvio
Country of originEuropean multi-national[a]
Cost per launchUS$37 million
Size
Height30 m (98 ft)
Diameter3 m (9.8 ft)
Mass137,000 kg (302,000 lb)
Stages4
Capacity
Payload to polar orbit
Altitude700 km (430 mi)
Orbital inclination90°
Mass1,430 kg (3,150 lb)
Payload to elliptic orbit
Altitude1,500 km × 200 km (930 mi × 120 mi)
Orbital inclination5.4°
Mass1,963 kg (4,328 lb)
Payload to SSO
Altitude400 km (250 mi)
Mass1,450 kg (3,200 lb)
Associated rockets
Derivative workVega C
Comparable
Launch history
StatusRetired
Launch sitesGuiana Space Centre, ELV
Total launches22
Success(es)20
Failure(s)2
First flight13 February 2012 (multiple payloads)[1]
Last flight5 September 2024 (Sentinel-2C)
First stage – P80[2][3][4]
Height11.7 m (38 ft)
Diameter3 m (9.8 ft)
Empty mass7,330 kg (16,160 lb)
Gross mass95,695 kg (210,971 lb)
Maximum thrust2,261 kN (508,000 lbf)
Specific impulse280 s (2.7 km/s)
Burn time107 seconds
PropellantHTPB / AP
Second stage – Zefiro 23
Height8.39 m (27.5 ft)
Diameter1.9 m (6 ft 3 in)
Empty mass2,850 kg (6,280 lb)
Gross mass28,850 kg (63,600 lb)
Maximum thrust871 kN (196,000 lbf)
Specific impulse287.5 s (2.819 km/s)
Burn time71.6 seconds
PropellantHTPB / AP[5]
Third stage – Zefiro 9
Height4.12 m (13.5 ft)
Diameter1.9 m (6 ft 3 in)
Empty mass1,315 kg (2,899 lb)
Gross mass11,815 kg (26,048 lb)
Maximum thrust260 kN (58,000 lbf)
Specific impulse296 s (2.90 km/s)
Burn time117 seconds
PropellantHTPB / AP[6]
Fourth stage – AVUM
Height1.7 m (5 ft 7 in)
Diameter1.9 m (6 ft 3 in)
Empty mass147 kg (324 lb)
Gross mass697 kg (1,537 lb)
Powered by1 × RD-843[7] (RD-868P)[8]
Maximum thrust2.42 kN (540 lbf)
Specific impulse315.5 s (3.094 km/s)
Burn time317 seconds
PropellantUDMH / N2O4

Vega (Italian: Vettore Europeo di Generazione Avanzata, French: Vecteur européen de génération avancée, lit.'Vector European Generation Advanced')[9] was an expendable small-lift launch vehicle operated by Arianespace, produced by Avio, and jointly developed by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and the European Space Agency (ESA). Development began in 1998 and the first launch took place from the Guiana Space Centre on 13 February 2012.[4] It was the 8th most launched small lift launch vehicle in history. The final flight of the rocket took place on 5 September 2024, after being replaced by the improved Vega C, already in use since 2022.

It was designed to launch small payloads, 300 to 2,500 kilograms (660 to 5,510 lb) satellites for scientific and Earth observation missions to polar and low Earth orbits.[10] The reference Vega mission was a polar orbit bringing a spacecraft of 1,500 kg (3,300 lb) to an altitude of 700 kilometres (430 mi).

The rocket, named after Vega, the brightest star in the constellation Lyra,[11] was a single-body launcher (no strap-on boosters) with three solid rocket stages: the P80 first stage, the Zefiro 23 second stage, and the Zefiro 9 third stage. The upper module was a liquid rocket called AVUM. The improved version of the P80 stage, the P120C, will also be used as the side boosters of the Ariane 6. Italy was the leading contributor to the Vega program (65%), followed by France (13%).[12] Other participants include Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Sweden.[13]

Vega struggled to compete in the commercial launch market in its decade of service. After initial success, two in-flight failures and rising competition SpaceX's rideshare programs, which offered lower prices, relegated Vega to primarily serving European government agencies willing to pay more to support independent space access.[14]


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  1. ^ "VV01 – Vega's first liftoff". ESA. 6 March 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  2. ^ Avio. "Vega Satellite Launcher" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  3. ^ Avio. "Avio Space". Archived from the original on 26 July 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  4. ^ a b "Vega". ESA. 3 February 2012. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
  5. ^ Wade, Mark. "Zefiro 23". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  6. ^ Wade, Mark. "Zefiro 9". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference nkau843 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference nkau868 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Antonio Fabrizi: from "nuts and bolts" to Europe's launchers of today and tomorrow". ESA. 16 March 2007. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  10. ^ Amos, Jonathan (13 February 2012). "Vega launcher makes first flight". BBC News. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
  11. ^ Tariq Malik (13 February 2012). "Europe Launches New Vega Rocket on Maiden Voyage". Space.com. Retrieved 29 May 2014. The Italian-built Vega rocket was named after the second-brightest star in the northern hemisphere
  12. ^ Svitak, Amy (6 February 2012). "European Vega Small-Class Launcher Targets Government Market". Aviation Week. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  13. ^ Clark, Steven (14 February 2012). "Vega launcher program courts German participation". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
  14. ^ Clark, Stephen (5 September 2024). "The Vega rocket never found its commercial niche. After tonight, it's gone". Ars Technica. Retrieved 6 September 2024.