Rocket Upgrades and New Launches: Avio's Big Plans

Avio, a key player in the European space industry, has signed a big deal with the European Space Agency (ESA). The contract, worth around €350 million, is for upgrading the Vega rocket and its launch facilities. This means more launches and better rockets in the future! The plan includes converting an old building at the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana. Right now, Vega C rockets are assembled on the launch pad, which limits how often they can launch. With this new building, Avio can handle two launch campaigns at once, doubling their launch capacity. Avio is also working on a new, improved rocket called Vega E. It's like Vega C but with a bigger first stage and a single, powerful upper stage. Vega E can carry more payloads – 3 metric tons to low Earth orbit, compared to Vega C's 2. 3 tons. And it's expected to launch in 2027 or 2028. Moreover, ESA has picked Vega C to launch its new Earth science mission, FORUM. This spacecraft will study far-infrared emissions from Earth, which is super important for understanding climate changes caused by water vapor and ice clouds. The launch is set for 2027. Avio has taken over marketing the Vega rocket from Arianespace. They'll take over all launch service responsibilities by the end of 2025. This new contract with ESA is the first launch services contract Avio has signed since taking over. The latest Vega C launch was a success, putting the Sentinel-1C satellite into orbit. The next launch is planned for late March or early April, with ESA's Biomass satellite.