Vega is an expendable launch system in use by Arianespace which was 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.
It is designed to launch small payloads — satellites for scientific and Earth observation missions to polar and low Earth orbits. The reference Vega mission is a polar orbit bringing a spacecraft of to an altitude of .
The rocket, named after the star Vega, is 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 is a liquid rocket called AVUM. The improved version of the P80 stage, the P120C, is also used as the side boosters of the Ariane 6. Italy is the leading contributor to the Vega program (65%), followed by France (13%). Other participants include Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Sweden.
Vega C was developed for a maximum of 4 launches per year. A new ESA contract signed in 2024 aims to increase that by 50% to 6 launches per year. Three launches are planned for 2026, with a targeted increase to 5 for 2027.
Launch statistics Rocket configurations
Launch outcomes
Orbits
Past launches Note: Date and time of start (as count-down zero, ignition or lift-off?) is listed in UTC. (Although local time at Guiana Space Centre (CSG) in Kourou, French Guiana, South America is UTC−3.) 2013–2019
Flight Date / time (UTC) Rocket Launch site Payload Payload mass Orbit Customer Launch OutcomeVV01 13 February 201210:00:00 Vega ELV LEO University of Bologna First Vega launch; Geodetic and Nanosatellite;VV02 7 May 201302:06:31 Vega ELV SSO First commercial launch; Earth observation satellite;VV03 30 April 201401:35:15 Vega ELV KazEOSat 1 SSO KGS Earth observation satellite VV04 11 February 201513:40:00 Vega ELV IXV TAO ESA Reentry technology demonstration; IXV deployed into a transatmospheric orbit, AVUM briefly entered a low Earth orbit before performing targeted de-orbit.VV05 23 June 201501:51:58 Vega ELV Sentinel-2A SSO ESA Earth observation satelliteVV06 3 December 201504:04:00 Vega ELV LISA Pathfinder Halo orbit Earth–Sun L1 ESA / NASA Technology demonstratorVV07 16 September 201601:43:35 VegaELV SSO Reconnaissance satellite / Earth observation satelliteVV08 5 December 201613:51:44 Vega ELV Göktürk-1A SSO Turkish Armed Forces Earth observation satellite (IMINT, Reconnaissance)VV09 7 March 201701:49:24 Vega ELV Sentinel-2B SSO ESA Earth observation satelliteVV10 2 August 201701:58:33 Vega ELV SSO IMINT Earth observation satelliteVV11 8 November 201701:42:31 Vega ELV Mohammed VI-A (MN35-13A) SSO Morocco Earth observation satelliteVV1222 August 201821:20:09VegaELVADM-Aeolus SSO ESA Weather satelliteVV13 21 November 201801:42:31 Vega ELV Mohammed VI-B (MN35-13B) SSO Morocco Earth observation satelliteVV14 22 March 201901:50:35 Vega ELV PRISMA SSO Italian Space Agency Earth observation satelliteVV15 11 July 201901:53 Vega ELV Falcon Eye 1 SSO UAEAF IMINT (Reconnaissance) – The VV15 launch failure was possibly caused by a thermal protection design flaw on the second stage's forward dome area, and led to reassignment of the FalconEye 2 launch. This also led to the highest recorded amount (US$411.21 million) for an insurance claim for a satellite launch failure.
2020–present
FlightDate / time (UTC)RocketLaunch sitePayloadPayload massOrbitCustomersLaunchOutcomeVV16 3 September 202001:51:10 Vega ELV SSMS PoC Flight (53 satellites) SSO Various Technology demonstration: launch of the Small Satellites Mission Service Dispenser (SSMS Dispenser) proof of concept flight carrying 53 microsatellites and CubeSats.VV17 17 November 202001:52:20 Vega ELV SEOSat-Ingenio and TARANIS SSO CDTI and CNES Earth observation satellite and Study of the atmosphere of the Earth. After ignition of the AVUM upper stage, a trajectory deviation caused failure. Satellites were valued at nearly US$400 million. An assembly error (inverted control cable) was the suspected cause.VV18 29 April 202101:50 Vega ELV SSO Small Satellites Mission Service (SSMS) piggyback mission.VV19 17 August 202101:47 Vega ELV SSO Small Satellites Mission Service (SSMS) piggyback mission.VV20 16 November 202109:27:55 Vega ELV CERES 1/2/3 Semi-synchronous CNES/DGA SIGINT satellites.VV21 13 July 202213:13:17 Vega C ELV MEO First flight of Vega CVV22 21 December 202201:47:31 Vega C ELV Pléiades Neo 5 & 6 SSO Airbus Defence and Space Earth observation satellites. Failure due to loss of pressure of the Zefiro 40 second stage. VV23 9 October 202301:36 Vega ELV SSO Earth observation satellites and Small Satellites Mission Service (SSMS) #5 rideshare mission with 10 cubesats. Two cubesats, ANSER-Leader and ESTCube-2, failed to separate from the payload adapter and likely burned in the atmosphere together with the adapter when it was deorbited. VV24 5 September 202401:50 Vega ELV Sentinel-2C SSO Airbus Defence and Space Final flight of the base Vega configuration. Third Sentinel-2 Earth observation satellite. The AVUM upper stage utilizes two propellant tanks from the larger AVUM+ upper stage of the Vega C rocket. These tanks underwent modifications after two of the original four tanks were discovered missing in 2023 and subsequently found crushed in a nearby landfill, rendering them unusable.VV255 December 202421:20Vega CELVSentinel-1CSSOESA Third Sentinel-1 satellite. Return to flight for Vega C following the VV22 launch failure.VV2629 April 202509:15Vega CELVBIOMASSSSOESA Earth observation satellite. Part of the Living Planet Programme.VV2726 July 202502:03Vega CELVCO3D × 4 + MicroCarbSSOCNES The CO3D (Constellation Optique en 3D) is an Earth observation satellite constellation providing daily resolution stereo imagery for global 3D mapping; MicroCarb is a microsatellite measuring atmospheric CO₂ with 1 ppm accuracy to track global sources and sinks.VV281 December 202517:21Vega CELVKOMPSAT-7 (Arirang-7)SSOKARI Earth observation satellite.VV2919 May 202603:52Vega CELVSMILEHEOESA Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) is a joint Chinese-European Earth observation satellite designed to study the magnetosphere with soft X-rays and UV. First launch to be operated by Avio without Arianespace.VV3015 September 202601:21Vega CELVSentinel-3C, FLEXSSOESA Third Sentinel-3 Earth observation satellite. Secondary payload is ESA's Fluorescence Explorer (FLEX) mission.https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/09/vega-c-launch-sentinel-3c-flex/
Planned launches
Date / time (UTC)RocketLaunch sitePayloadOrbit December 2026 Vega C ELV IRIDE × ? LEO First launch for the Italian IRIDE Earth observation satellite constellation.April 2027 Vega C ELV KOMPSAT-6 (Arirang-6) SSO Earth observation satellite. PLATiNO-1 as secondary payload. 1H 2027 Vega C ELV CSG-4 SSO Fourth COSMO-SkyMed 2nd Generation satellite. November 2027 Vega C ELV CO2M-A (Sentinel-7A) / PLATiNO-2 SSO Copernicus Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide Monitoring, part of the Copernicus Programme. PLATiNO-2 will host the MAIA instrument payload. 2027https://europeanspaceflight.com/brazils-amazonia-1b-satellite-to-be-launched-aboard-vega-c/ Vega C ELV Amazônia 1B SSO Brazilian satellite for monitoring Amazonian deforestation 2027 Vega C ELV FORMOSAT-8C SSO Taiwan Space Agency Earth observation satellite March 2028 Vega C ELV CO2M-B (Sentinel-7B) SSO Copernicus Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide Monitoring. Part of the Copernicus Programme.Q1 2028 Vega C+ ELV Space Rider LEO Technology demonstration September 2028 Vega C ELV CRISTAL-A (Sentinel-9)A Polar Copernicus Polar Ice and Snow Topography Altimeter. Part of the Copernicus Programme. Q4 2028 Vega C ELV ALTIUS SSO ALTIUS is an ozone observation satellite. 2028 Vega C ELV CHIME-A (Sentinel-10) SSO Copernicus Hyperspectral Imaging Mission. Part of the Copernicus Programme. 2028 https://www.ses.com/sites/ses_v2/files/investor-files/2026-07/2607_H1%2026_AnalystPresentation_Final.pdf Vega C ELV Eagle-1 LEO Demonstrator satellite for the first European sovereign space-based quantum key distribution system. 2028 Vega C ELV FORMOSAT-8D SSO Taiwan Space Agency Earth observation satellite 2028 Vega C ELV FORMOSAT-9A SSO Taiwan Space Agency Earth observation satellite 2028 Vega C ELV FORUM SSO Earth observation satellite. Part of the Living Planet Programme. 2028 Vega C ELV Sentinel-3D SSO Fourth Sentinel-3 Earth observation satellite. 2028 Vega C ELV Sentinel-2D LEO Fourth Sentinel-2 Earth observation satellite. Q3 2029 Vega C ELV CIMR-A (Sentinel-11A) SSO Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer. Part of the Copernicus Programme. 2029 Vega C ELV ClearSpace-1 LEO Space debris removal demo. 2029 Vega C ELV LSTM (Sentinel-8) SSO Copernicus Land Surface Temperature Monitoring. Part of the Copernicus Programme. 2029 Vega C ELV Harmony LEO Earth Explorer 10 Mission. 2029 Vega C ELV SBG-TIR LEO Surface Biology and Geology-Thermal Infrared. 2030 Vega C ELV CHIME-B (Sentinel-10) SSO Copernicus Hyperspectral Imaging Mission. Part of the Copernicus Programme. 2030 Vega C ELV FORMOSAT-9B SSO Taiwan Space Agency Earth observation satelliteTBD Vega C ELV IRIDE × ? LEO Second launch for the Italian IRIDE Earth observation satellite constellation. TBD Vega C ELV SHALOM SSO Joint Italian-Israeli hyperspectral imaging satellite.
See also
List of Falcon 1 launches List of Electron launches Falcon 1 Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle
Notes
References