Vega C by Avio: status and timeline

Vega C

Four-stage medium-lift vehicle carrying up to 2,300 kg to LEO, 60% more than the original Vega. Operated independently by Avio from French Guiana.

DeployStage 4 of 5

In operation since July 2022. VV29 (May) and VV30 (Sep) in 2026. Quarterly launch cadence planned.

Updated 26d agoChecked 10 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · Quarterly launch cadence established

Maiden flight of Vega C13 Jul 2022Complete.
Avio takes independent operational control2026Complete.
VV29 launch: SMILE scientific satellite19 May 2026Complete.
VV30 launch: Sentinel-3C and FLEX dual mission15 Sep 2026Complete.
Quarterly launch cadence establishedTarget 2027Current milestone.

Most important updates

Upcoming

2027Quarterly launch cadence established (next)

Current obstacles

Market differentiationVega C must serve a profitable niche between SpaceX's Falcon 9 (cheaper per kg at scale) and Rocket Lab's Electron (faster response for single satellites).
Launch infrastructure in French GuianaMaintaining launch facilities and achieving regular cadence requires consistent business, which depends on satellite operator demand.

Physics limits

Solid stage performance ceilingSolid-rocket stages produce fixed thrust that cannot be throttled once ignited, limiting optimization of trajectory and efficiency compared to liquid engines.
Fixed launch site bottleneckVega C launches from only the European Spaceport in French Guiana. Multiple simultaneous launch requests require sequential flights, limiting response time and market agility.
Payload mass constraintsAt 2,300 kg to LEO, Vega C is limited to smaller satellites and constellations. Large missions require heavier rockets, giving ground to competitors.

How it works

3 parts

Solid boosters

Three solid stages for initial thrust

Stages P120C, Zefiro 40, and Zefiro 9 deliver acceleration and most velocity over 8 minutes.

Liquid upper stage

AVUM+ for precision and flexibility

AVUM+ uses UDMH and nitrogen tetroxide for reignitable burns, enabling precise orbital corrections and multi-payload deployment to different orbits.

Payload adapter

Flexible deployment systems

Modular adapters like VESPA allow Vega C to carry single large payloads or multiple smaller satellites into different orbits in one mission.

Spec sheet

Spec	Vega C
Height	34.8 m^R (reported)
Payload to LEO	2,300 kg^R (reported)
Payload to Sun-Synchronous Orbit	1,700 kg^R (reported)
Launch mass	210 tonnes^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Peer comparison

Launch peers

Spec	Vega C	ISRO LVM3
Height	34.8 m^R (reported)	43.5 m^R (reported)
Payload to LEO	2,300 kg^R (reported)	8,000 kg^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Update log

2 updates

Tue 15 Sep

Major: Vega C VV30 dual-satellite mission deploys Copernicus Sentinel-3C and FLEXPressHardware

Tue 19 May

Major: Vega C VV29 places ESA and CAS SMILE X-ray satellite into orbitPressHardware

About Avio

The team behind Vega C

Avio

Vega C launcher, solid and liquid propulsion

Italian aerospace company producing Vega C, a medium-lift launcher carrying 2,300 kg to LEO, plus rocket engines for other vehicles. Listed on Euronext STAR Milan with facilities in Italy, France, US and French Guiana.

In 2026, Avio shifted from relying on Arianespace to market Vega C independently, handling launch operations directly from French Guiana.
Vega C reached 2,300 kg payload capacity to LEO in 2022, expanding its addressable market from 50% to 90% of small satellite operators.
In 2026, VV29 (May) and VV30 (September) placed SMILE, Sentinel-3C and FLEX into orbit.

avio.com (opens avio.com)Company profile →

Founded: 1908118 yrs
Headquarters: Italy
Status: Public
Valuation: public
Works in: SpaceflightLaunch
Coverage: 1 program · 3 updateslatest 26d agochecked 10 Oct
Customers: European Space Agency (opens esa.int)
Partners: Arianespace (opens arianespace.com)
People: Giulio Ranzo (opens avio.com)CEO

Spec

Vega C

Height

34.8 m^R (reported)

Payload to LEO

2,300 kg^R (reported)

Payload to Sun-Synchronous Orbit

1,700 kg^R (reported)

Launch mass

210 tonnes^R (reported)

Spec

Vega C

ISRO LVM3

Height

34.8 m^R (reported)

43.5 m^R (reported)

Payload to LEO

2,300 kg^R (reported)

8,000 kg^R (reported)