Vega-C
OperationalAvio · Italy / ESA · First flight 2022
ESA's upgraded small-to-medium launch vehicle with improved performance over the original Vega. Uses the P120C solid motor shared with Ariane 6 as its first stage. Returned to flight in December 2024 after a two-year stand-down following its December 2022 failure, then flew three successful missions in 2025 and two more in 2026 through September.
Launch price
Not published
Payload to LEO
3,300 kg
Career record
87.5%
7/8 successful · as of 2026-10-09
Next launch
NET 2026
IRIDE 1
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More launch calendarsLaunch activity, live
From SpaceNexus's launch tracker (tracked since Dec 5, 2024); outcomes recorded as each flight lands. Career totals above are the vehicle's full history.
Last 90 days
1
launches flown
Tracked flights
6
6 success · 0 partial · 0 failed
Tracked success rate
100%
full successes / attempts; partial failures are not successes
On the manifest
8
upcoming launches
Upcoming
Specifications
| Height | 34.8 m |
| Diameter | 3.4 m |
| Liftoff mass | 210,000 kg |
| Stages | 4 |
| Engines | P120C + Zefiro-40 + Zefiro-9 + AVUM+ |
| Propellant | HTPB (solid) + UDMH/N2O4 (AVUM+) |
| Fairing diameter | 3.3 m |
| Payload to LEO | 3,300 kg |
| Payload to SSO | 2,300 kg |
| Reusable | No |
| First flight | 2022-07-13 |
| Last flight | Active |
| Variants seen on the manifest | Vega-C, Vega-C Block 2 |
Where it launches from
Frequently asked
How much does a Vega-C launch cost?
Avio has not published a list price for Vega-C.
When is the next Vega-C launch?
The next tracked Vega-C launch is IRIDE 1, NET 2026 from Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana. Dates move; Mission Control carries the live countdown.
How reliable is Vega-C?
Vega-C has flown 8 times as of 2026-10-09, with 7 successes, 1 failures and 0 partial failures: a 87.5% success rate, with 6 consecutive successes at last count.
How much can Vega-C carry?
3,300 kg to low Earth orbit, 2,300 kg to sun-synchronous orbit.
Public commitments
On the Promise Ledger: 1 entry: 1 met. Exact words, primary sources, deadlines and outcomes.
What the statuses mean
- Met:
- happened on or before the deadline.
The whole Promise Ledger · same rules for everyone, how entries are scored