RetiredAvio / ESAFirst Launch: 2012-02-13
Vega
European small-lift solid rocket that served from 2012 to 2024, launching Earth observation and science satellites before retiring in favor of Vega C.
SpaceStats Reliability & Flight Record
TOTAL LAUNCHES
22
Orbital missions
SUCCESSFUL
20
2 failures
SUCCESS RATE
90.9%
LANDINGS
0
Expendable Vehicle
Avio / ESAFeatured Photography
Vega Maiden Flight VV01 Liftoff
ESA / S. Corvaja
Technical & Propulsion Specifications
Operator: Avio / ESAVehicle Dimensions & Mass
- Overall Height
- 30 m
- Body Diameter
- 3 m
- Gross Lift-off Mass
- 137 t
- Stages Count
- 4
- Fairing Diameter
- 2.6 m
Stage 1 (Booster)
- Recovery Mode
- Expendable
Stage 2 & Capacities
- LEO Capacity
- 1.4 t
- Cost per Launch
- $37,000,000
- LEO Price / kg
- ~$25,874 / kg
Fleet Deployment & Economics Suite
Model Satellite Constellations or Payload Charters with Vega
Calculate multi-plane Walker Delta fleet costs, fairing dispenser limits, launch cadence timelines, and single-mission rideshare economics.
High-Resolution Photo Gallery & Media
2 photos & renders of Vega
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Liftoff2012-02-13Vega Maiden Flight VV01 Liftoff
Inaugural liftoff of the European Space Agency's Vega solid-fuel launch vehicle from Kourou.
ESA / S. Corvaja
Source 
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Pad2015-06-20Vega at ELA-1 Launch Pad in French Guiana
Vega standing inside the mobile service gantry on the historic ELA-1 launch complex.
ESA / CNES / Arianespace
Source SpaceStats Launch Manifest & Database
1 mission records cataloged in database
| Flight / Mission | Orbit | Launch Date | Pad / Location | Booster / Landing | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vega-C | Sentinel-3C & FLEX Sentinel-3C & FLEX | SSO | Sep 15, 2026 | Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV) Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana | B1080 ASDS | GO | Details → |