Vega (rocket)
Vega's VV05 before liftoff with Sentinel-2A | |
| Function | Small-lift launch vehicle |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Avio |
| Country of origin | European multi-national |
| Cost per launch | US$37 million |
| Size | |
| Height | 30 m (98 ft 5 in) |
| Diameter | 3 m (9 ft 10 in) |
| Mass | 137,000 kg (302,000 lb) |
| Stages | 4 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to polar orbit | |
| Altitude | 700 km (430 mi) |
| Orbital inclination | 90° |
| Mass | 1,430 kg (3,150 lb) |
| Payload to elliptic orbit | |
| Altitude | 1,500 km × 200 km (930 mi × 120 mi) |
| Orbital inclination | 5.4° |
| Mass | 1,963 kg (4,328 lb) |
| Payload to SSO | |
| Altitude | 400 km (250 mi) |
| Mass | 1,450 kg (3,200 lb) |
| Associated rockets | |
| Derivative work | Vega C |
| Comparable | |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Retired |
| Launch sites | Guiana Space Centre, ELV |
| Total launches | 22 |
| Success(es) | 20 |
| Failure(s) | 2 |
| First flight | 13 February 2012 (multiple payloads) |
| Last flight | 5 September 2024 (Sentinel-2C) |
| First stage – P80FW | |
| Height | 11.7 m (38 ft 5 in) |
| Diameter | 3 m (9 ft 10 in) |
| Empty mass | 7,330 kg (16,160 lb) |
| Gross mass | 95,695 kg (210,971 lb) |
| Maximum thrust | 2,261 kN (508,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 280 s (2.7 km/s) |
| Burn time | 107 seconds |
| Propellant | HTPB / AP |
| Second stage – Zefiro 23 | |
| Height | 8.39 m (27 ft 6 in) |
| Diameter | 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in) |
| Empty mass | 2,850 kg (6,280 lb) |
| Gross mass | 28,850 kg (63,600 lb) |
| Maximum thrust | 871 kN (196,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 287.5 s (2.819 km/s) |
| Burn time | 71.6 seconds |
| Propellant | HTPB / AP |
| Third stage – Zefiro 9 | |
| Height | 4.12 m (13 ft 6 in) |
| Diameter | 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in) |
| Empty mass | 1,315 kg (2,899 lb) |
| Gross mass | 11,815 kg (26,048 lb) |
| Maximum thrust | 260 kN (58,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 296 s (2.90 km/s) |
| Burn time | 117 seconds |
| Propellant | HTPB / AP |
| Fourth stage – AVUM | |
| Height | 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in) |
| Diameter | 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in) |
| Empty mass | 147 kg (324 lb) |
| Gross mass | 697 kg (1,537 lb) |
| Powered by | 1 × RD-843 (MEA) |
| Maximum thrust | 2.45 kN (550 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 314.6 s (3.085 km/s) |
| Burn time | Up to 612.5 seconds (up to five burns) |
| Propellant | UDMH / N2O4 |
Vega (Italian: Vettore Europeo di Generazione Avanzata, French: Vecteur européen de génération avancée, lit. 'Vector European Generation Advanced') was a European expendable small-lift launch vehicle developed by Avio and operated by Arianespace for the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). Designed to carry payloads between 300 and 2,500 kilograms (660 and 5,510 lb) into low Earth and polar orbits, Vega served primarily scientific and Earth observation missions.
Development of Vega began in 1998, with its maiden flight launched from the Guiana Space Centre on 13 February 2012. Over the next decade, it became the eighth most launched small-lift launch vehicle history, though it struggled to compete in the commercial launch market. After initial success, two in-flight failures and rising competition from 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.
The rocket took its name from Vega, the brightest star in the constellation Lyra. It featured a single-body design without strap-on boosters, consisting of three solid rocket stages, the P80FW, Zefiro 23, and Zefiro 9, topped by a liquid-fueled AVUM upper stage.
Italy led the Vega program, contributing 65% of its funding, with support from France, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, and others. Vega was succeeded by the more powerful Vega C, which entered service in 2022. The original Vega made its final flight on 5 September 2024.