Vega (rocket)

Vega (Italian: Vettore Europeo di Generazione Avanzata, French: Vecteur européen de génération avancée, lit.'Vector European Generation Advanced') was a European expendable small-lift launch vehicle developed by Avio and operated by Arianespace for the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). Designed to carry payloads between 300 and 2,500 kilograms (660 and 5,510 lb) into low Earth and polar orbits, Vega served primarily scientific and Earth observation missions.

Development of Vega began in 1998, with its maiden flight launched from the Guiana Space Centre on 13February 2012. Over the next decade, it became the eighth most launched small-lift launch vehicle history, though it struggled to compete in the commercial launch market. After initial success, two in-flight failures and rising competition from SpaceX's rideshare programs, which offered lower prices, relegated Vega to primarily serving European government agencies willing to pay more to support independent space access.

The rocket took its name from Vega, the brightest star in the constellation Lyra. It featured a single-body design without strap-on boosters, consisting of three solid rocket stages, the P80FW, Zefiro 23, and Zefiro 9, topped by a liquid-fueled AVUM upper stage.

Italy led the Vega program, contributing 65% of its funding, with support from France, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, and others. Vega was succeeded by the more powerful Vega C, which entered service in 2022. The original Vega made its final flight on 5September 2024.