Rome, 29 November 2022 – Avio announces the signature of a contract by Arianespace with the European Commission for five Vega C launches for the Copernicus earth observation constellation satellites, to be executed between 2024 to 2026.

The satellites will be used, among other things, to accurately monitor land surface and ocean temperatures, air quality, and to improve the estimation of global emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants in order to support the achievement of the global decarbonization and emissions reduction goals.

Due to a defective equipment that needs to be replaced on the launcher, Flight VV22 –initially scheduled for November 24, from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana– is being postponed.

The Vega C launch vehicle and the two Pléiades Neo satellites are in safe conditions.

A new launch date, in December, will be shared as soon as possible.

Kourou (French Guiana), 13 July 2022 – The Vega C rocket has completed its inaugural flight, placing the main payload LARES-2 – a scientific mission of the Italian Space Agency ASI – into its planned orbit. Six additional research CubeSats from France, Italy and Slovenia flew as secondary payloads.

On Wednesday, June 22, 2022 at 06:50 pm local time, an Ariane 5 launcher lifted off from the Guiana Space Center, Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana (South America), successfully orbiting two geostationary telecommunication satellites, MEASAT-3d and GSAT-24.

The Ariane 5 heavy-lift launcher is an ESA program carried out in cooperation between public institutions and industry across 12 European partner states.

Avio is responsible for the P230 solid rocket boosters of the launcher. 

On its 20th flight, Vega delivered in orbit three CERES satellites for CNES and the French Ministry of Defence. The third successful launch in the last six months

With flight VV19, Vega successfully puts in Sun-Synchronous orbit Pléiades Neo 4 along with four small satellites in ride-share, including one for the University “La Sapienza” of Rome.

ARIANE 5: A NEW SUCCESSFUL FLIGHT

Two geostationary telecommunication satellites, Star One D2 and EUTELSAT QUANTUM, have been placed into orbit

Colleferro (Rome), 31st July 2021 – Ariane 5 successfully placed two geostationary telecommunication satellites, Star One D2 and EUTELSAT QUANTUM, correctly in orbit. Star One D2 is a high-capacity multi-mission satellite equipped with Ku, Ka, C and X-band transponders that will expand the broadband coverage to new regions of Central and South America, by providing Internet access to underserved populations.

With flight VV18, Vega successfully puts in Sun-Synchronous orbit the French satellite Pléiades Neo 3 along with several small satellites in ride-share.

During the recent meeting in Rome between Bruno Le Maire, French Minister of the Economy, Finance and Recovery, and Giancarlo Giorgetti, Italian Minister of Economic Development, Stéphane Israël, CEO of Arianespace, and Giulio Ranzo, CEO of Avio signed an agreement with Avio to start production of 10 new Vega C launch vehicles.

Avio CEO comments about the results of the Independent Inquiry Commission on the anomaly of Vega flight VV17 and on the return-to-flight of the rocket with the VV18 mission by the end of Q1 2021.