Vega C Explained: Payload, Flight Record and How to Book a Launch

Vega C is Europe's small to medium launcher, built by Avio and launched from Kourou in French Guiana. According to ESA, it can lift 2.3 tonnes to sun-synchronous orbit, 3.3 tonnes to low Earth orbit and 2.5 tonnes to polar orbit. It has flown eight times since July 2022, with one failure in December 2022. Since 2026, Avio sells and operates Vega C launches itself instead of Arianespace.

This guide covers the rocket's design, its payload performance, every flight to date, the options for small satellites and how to request a launch. All figures come from ESA, Avio, CNES and the Vega C User's Manual. You can compare Vega C with other rockets on the Vega C page and in the rocket comparison on Carrier Space.

Vega C at a glance

Manufacturer and operator: Avio (Italy), prime contractor and design authority; ESA owns the programme
Height: 34.8 m
Liftoff mass: about 210 tonnes
Stages: three solid stages (P120C, Zefiro 40, Zefiro 9) plus the liquid AVUM+ upper stage
Payload: 2.3 t to SSO, 3.3 t to LEO, 2.5 t to polar orbit (ESA); about 2.3 t to a 700 km polar reference orbit
Fairing: 3.3 m diameter, over 9 m tall
Launch site: Vega launch pad (ELV/SLV), Guiana Space Centre, Kourou
Flights: 8 (VV21 to VV30), 7 successes, 1 failure
Published price: none

How Vega C is built

ESA describes Vega C as a single-body rocket with three solid-propellant stages, a reignitable liquid upper stage and a payload fairing. Compared with the original Vega, it is nearly 5 m taller and raises the performance in the 700 km polar reference orbit from 1.5 t to about 2.3 t.

P120C first stage: a monolithic carbon fibre motor with 143.6 t of solid propellant and an average thrust of 4,500 kN over a burn of about two minutes. The same motor serves as the strap-on booster of Ariane 6, two or four per rocket.
Zefiro 40 second stage: 36.2 t of solid propellant and an average thrust of 1,304 kN.
Zefiro 9 third stage: the same stage as on the original Vega, with 10 t of solid propellant.
AVUM+ upper stage: 740 kg of liquid propellant and a main engine with 2.42 kN average thrust. Because it can restart, AVUM+ can release several satellites into different orbits on one flight.
Fairing: 3.3 m in diameter instead of 2.6 m on Vega, which according to ESA doubles the payload volume.

CNES puts the development budget at 395 million euros, with Avio as prime contractor.

Payload performance

ESA's Vega C page gives three headline figures: 2.3 t to sun-synchronous orbit, 3.3 t to low Earth orbit and 2.5 t to polar orbit. The ESA article on the first flight uses the classic reference case of about 2.3 t to a 700 km polar orbit. The public User's Manual (Issue 0, 2018, written before the first flight) lists 2,250 kg for a 500 km orbit at 88° inclination. The exact capacity always depends on altitude, inclination and the adapter, so ask Avio for a performance figure for your target orbit.

In practice Vega C has delivered Earth observation satellites to sun-synchronous orbits between about 495 km and 810 km. For a wider view, see our overview of launch vehicles by payload capacity.

Flight record

VV21, 13 July 2022: maiden flight with ASI's LARES-2 and six CubeSats. Success.
VV22, 20 December 2022 (local time): Pléiades Neo 5 and 6 for Airbus. Failure. The enquiry commission found a gradual deterioration of the Zefiro 40 nozzle, caused by over-erosion of the carbon-carbon throat insert. The material was replaced with one made by ArianeGroup.
VV25, 5 December 2024: Copernicus Sentinel-1C, return to flight. Success.
VV26, 29 April 2025: ESA's Biomass satellite to about 666 km SSO. Success.
VV27, 25 July 2025 (local time): four CO3D satellites and CNES's MicroCarb. AVUM+ ignited four times to release them at 495 km and 650 km. Success.
VV28, 1 December 2025: KOMPSAT-7 for South Korea, the last Vega C flight operated by Arianespace. Success.
VV29, 19 May 2026: the ESA and Chinese Academy of Sciences mission SMILE, the first Vega C launch operated by Avio. Success.
VV30, 15 September 2026: Sentinel-3C and ESA's FLEX on the Vespa adapter, released at about 810 km. Success. We covered it in our launch report.

The numbers VV23 and VV24 belong to flights of the original Vega, not Vega C. The count of eight flights follows CNES, which calls VV28 the sixth and VV29 the seventh Vega C mission.

From Arianespace to Avio

In July 2024 the ESA Council decided that Vega would be commercialised by its prime contractor Avio. Arianespace remained the launch service provider until VV29; customers with existing Arianespace contracts for later flights were offered a transfer to Avio. In practice, VV28 was the last Arianespace flight and VV29 the first under Avio. CNES now describes Avio as prime contractor, design authority, launch service provider and launch system operator.

Avio reported in March 2026 that its launch systems order intake of about 400 million euros mainly came from the Vega C contracts transferred to it. On 2 December 2025, ArianeGroup handed over the launcher integration building in Kourou to Avio, which according to the company supports up to six flights per year. Known future customers include Airbus, whose first Pléiades Neo Next satellite is to fly on Vega C in early 2028, and an Earth observation satellite of about 700 kg contracted through SpaceLaunch for the second half of 2027.

Small satellites and rideshare on Vega C

Vega C offers two ways to carry more than one payload:

SSMS dispenser: the Small Spacecraft Mission Service can be configured for any combination from 1 kg CubeSats up to 400 kg mini satellites. SSMS first flew on the original Vega in September 2020, carrying 53 satellites.
Vespa-C adapter: for two passengers with a mass above 400 kg, as on VV30.

So far, the only verified case of small satellites on Vega C is the maiden flight, which carried six CubeSats next to LARES-2. Avio has not published a dedicated Vega C rideshare schedule. If you need a fixed rideshare date, compare the open flights on our rideshare launch schedule and read rideshare or dedicated launch.

Launch site

Vega C flies from the Vega launch pad at the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, called ELV by CNES and SLV in the User's Manual. It is built on the former ELA1 pad of Ariane 1 and 3, about 1 km south-west of the old Ariane 5 pad. CNES extended the pad so that Vega and Vega C can use the same facilities. Kourou lies close to the equator, but Vega C missions so far have all gone to polar or sun-synchronous orbits. See our comparison of European launch sites.

Price

Neither ESA, Avio, Arianespace nor CNES publishes a Vega C launch price. ESA only states that price conditions for the standard launch service were agreed in 2023 and that institutional demand is around two Vega C flights per year on average. Any price you will find elsewhere is an estimate. For a binding figure, you need a quote from Avio. Our article on satellite launch costs explains which prices are public.

What comes next: Vega E and P160C

ESA and Avio are developing Vega E, which replaces the Zefiro 9 and AVUM+ stages with one upper stage powered by the M10 liquid oxygen and methane engine. Avio states that Vega E aims for 20 % more payload than Vega C; the preliminary design review is complete. In 2022 ESA targeted a first flight from 2026; no current date has been published. The P160C motor, an evolution of P120C, completed its firing test in April 2025 and is planned for Ariane 6 Block 2, Vega C and Vega E. ESA also plans to launch its Space Rider spaceplane on Vega C.

How to book a Vega C launch

Define your mission: mass, target orbit, launch window and whether you need a dedicated launch, a dual launch on Vespa-C or a place on an SSMS dispenser.
Contact Avio: Avio's "Fly With Us" page offers a contact form for payload details and upcoming flights. No separate sales address is published.
Compare alternatives: use the direct comparison to check Vega C against Electron, Spectrum or a rideshare.
Request quotes: through the Carrier Space request form you can describe your mission once and reach several providers.

FAQ

How much can Vega C carry?

According to ESA, 2.3 tonnes to sun-synchronous orbit, 3.3 tonnes to low Earth orbit and 2.5 tonnes to polar orbit. The reference case is about 2.3 tonnes to a 700 km polar orbit.

Who operates Vega C?

Avio. Arianespace operated Vega C up to VV28 in December 2025. Since VV29 in May 2026, Avio is the launch service provider and operator.

How many times has Vega C flown?

Eight times as of October 2026, from VV21 in July 2022 to VV30 in September 2026. Seven flights succeeded, VV22 failed.

How much does a Vega C launch cost?

No official price is published. A binding price requires a quote from Avio.

What is the difference between Vega and Vega C?

Vega C is nearly 5 m taller, uses the larger P120C first stage and Zefiro 40 second stage, has a 3.3 m fairing instead of 2.6 m and carries about 2.3 t instead of 1.5 t to the 700 km polar reference orbit.

Can CubeSats fly on Vega C?

Yes. The SSMS dispenser accepts payloads from 1 kg CubeSats up to 400 kg, and the first Vega C flight carried six CubeSats. Avio has not published a dedicated rideshare schedule.

Sources

Cover image: Arianespace's Ariane 5 is rolled out at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on 23 December 2021. Vega C launches from its own pad at the same spaceport. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls