https://europeanspaceflight.com/avio-plans-introduction-of-vega-next-rocket-beyond-2032/QuoteAvio Plans Introduction of Vega Next Rocket Beyond 2032By Andrew Parsonson -September 12, 2024Italian rocket builder Avio has revealed that it plans to introduce its post-Vega-E “Vega Next” rocket beyond 2032.Last week the final flight of the original Vega rocket was completed, with the rocket successfully deploying the Sentinel 2C Earth observation satellite. Avio is now working toward requalifying the second stage of the rocket’s successor, Vega C, for a return-to-flight mission that is expected to be attempted before the end of 2024. Assuming its return is successful, the rocket will become the company’s primary offering for its launch business going forward. However, it will likely not remain in its current form for long.In its 2024 half-year financial report, Avio outlined the company’s development timeline from the reintroduction of Vega C to beyond 2030. Following the full introduction of Vega C, Avio will begin working toward a midlife upgrade of the rocket. This more powerful version, which will be called Vega C+, will utilize a P160 first stage booster, an upgraded variant of the P120 booster. According to Avio, this version of the rocket will offer a 200-kilogram improvement in payload performance over a standard Vega C rocket.In addition to working toward an upgrade of the rocket, Avio is also in the process of developing a new upper stage engine to replace the Ukrainian-made RD-843 engine currently being utilized.According to Avio, production of the RD-843 engines, which the company refers to as the MEA engine, continues despite Russia’s continued invasion of the country. This means that the supply of MEA engines is secure in the medium term from 2025 to 2027. However, the company has also not excluded the possibility of a worsening outlook in Ukraine. It is, as a result, exploring alternatives. The long term goal is to complete the development of the Multi-Purpose Green Engine (MPGE), which will replace the MEA engines aboard both Space Rider and Vega C. In March 2023, Avio received €55 million from Italy’s covid recovery fund (PNRR) to complete development of the MPGE project.Much like Vega C, Vega C+ will not serve as the company’s primary launch vehicle for very long with the introduction of the Vega E rocket expected in 2027. This version of the rocket will retain the first and second stages of the Vega C+ rocket and substitute the third and fourth stages for a single liquid fuel stage powered by the company’s new M10 methalox rocket engine.At the same time, Avio will also be working on its In Flight Demonstrator (IFD) vehicles which will be used to study reusable rocket technology that can be applied to the company’s Vega E successor. The programme, which was initially referred to as the Space Transportation System (STS), received €181.6 million in PNRR funding in 2023. However, that award was initially allocated for one two-stage demonstrator with the programme now shifting to include a second vehicle. The first IFD vehicle will be a small single-stage-to-orbit demonstrator. Avio will then move onto the two-stage-to-orbit rocket demonstrator. Both rockets will utilize the company’s M10 rocket engine. The first IFD flight is expected to be conducted in 2026.In addition to the IFD vehicles, Avio will also be working on another key piece of its future in the M60 rocket engine, which will be capable of generating 60 tonnes of thrust. The High Thrust Engine (HTE) programme under which the M60 engine is being developed received €103.7 million in PNRR funding in early 2023. Development of the engine is expected to be completed in 2026. Once operational, it will be utilized for what the company refers to as its Vega Next rocket. According to Avio, it projects that it will be able to introduce this, its first fully liquid-fueled rocket, beyond 2032.
Avio Plans Introduction of Vega Next Rocket Beyond 2032By Andrew Parsonson -September 12, 2024Italian rocket builder Avio has revealed that it plans to introduce its post-Vega-E “Vega Next” rocket beyond 2032.Last week the final flight of the original Vega rocket was completed, with the rocket successfully deploying the Sentinel 2C Earth observation satellite. Avio is now working toward requalifying the second stage of the rocket’s successor, Vega C, for a return-to-flight mission that is expected to be attempted before the end of 2024. Assuming its return is successful, the rocket will become the company’s primary offering for its launch business going forward. However, it will likely not remain in its current form for long.In its 2024 half-year financial report, Avio outlined the company’s development timeline from the reintroduction of Vega C to beyond 2030. Following the full introduction of Vega C, Avio will begin working toward a midlife upgrade of the rocket. This more powerful version, which will be called Vega C+, will utilize a P160 first stage booster, an upgraded variant of the P120 booster. According to Avio, this version of the rocket will offer a 200-kilogram improvement in payload performance over a standard Vega C rocket.In addition to working toward an upgrade of the rocket, Avio is also in the process of developing a new upper stage engine to replace the Ukrainian-made RD-843 engine currently being utilized.According to Avio, production of the RD-843 engines, which the company refers to as the MEA engine, continues despite Russia’s continued invasion of the country. This means that the supply of MEA engines is secure in the medium term from 2025 to 2027. However, the company has also not excluded the possibility of a worsening outlook in Ukraine. It is, as a result, exploring alternatives. The long term goal is to complete the development of the Multi-Purpose Green Engine (MPGE), which will replace the MEA engines aboard both Space Rider and Vega C. In March 2023, Avio received €55 million from Italy’s covid recovery fund (PNRR) to complete development of the MPGE project.Much like Vega C, Vega C+ will not serve as the company’s primary launch vehicle for very long with the introduction of the Vega E rocket expected in 2027. This version of the rocket will retain the first and second stages of the Vega C+ rocket and substitute the third and fourth stages for a single liquid fuel stage powered by the company’s new M10 methalox rocket engine.At the same time, Avio will also be working on its In Flight Demonstrator (IFD) vehicles which will be used to study reusable rocket technology that can be applied to the company’s Vega E successor. The programme, which was initially referred to as the Space Transportation System (STS), received €181.6 million in PNRR funding in 2023. However, that award was initially allocated for one two-stage demonstrator with the programme now shifting to include a second vehicle. The first IFD vehicle will be a small single-stage-to-orbit demonstrator. Avio will then move onto the two-stage-to-orbit rocket demonstrator. Both rockets will utilize the company’s M10 rocket engine. The first IFD flight is expected to be conducted in 2026.In addition to the IFD vehicles, Avio will also be working on another key piece of its future in the M60 rocket engine, which will be capable of generating 60 tonnes of thrust. The High Thrust Engine (HTE) programme under which the M60 engine is being developed received €103.7 million in PNRR funding in early 2023. Development of the engine is expected to be completed in 2026. Once operational, it will be utilized for what the company refers to as its Vega Next rocket. According to Avio, it projects that it will be able to introduce this, its first fully liquid-fueled rocket, beyond 2032.
https://europeanspaceflight.com/avio-to-begin-testing-next-gen-reusable-rocket-demonstrator-in-2025/QuoteAvio to Begin Testing Next-Gen Reusable Rocket Demonstrator in 2025By Andrew Parsonson - March 17, 2025Avio has revealed that it will complete an initial "firing test" of its IFD1 reusable rocket demonstrator in the third quarter of 2025.While the vehicle schematics were provided by Avio, this blueprint was created by European Spaceflight.Avio has announced plans to begin testing its IFD1 single-stage reusable rocket demonstrator in Q3 2025. IFD1 is one of two demonstrators being developed under Avio’s Space Transportation Systems initiative, which is backed by funding from the Italian government.In March 2023, Avio announced that it had been awarded a €181.6 million contract from the Italian government under its National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). The funding was allocated to Avio for the development of a two-stage demonstrator to advance key technologies for a successor to the Vega E rocket, which is currently under development.In May 2023, the company revealed that, as an intermediate step toward the two-stage demonstrator, it would first develop a single-stage suborbital demonstrator to validate the reignitability of its MR10 methalox rocket engine. At the time, the company stated that the vehicle might also be used to explore recovery technologies. In the latest rendering shared in Avio’s 2024 full-year financial results presentation, control surfaces resembling those on a Falcon 9 booster are visible, seemingly confirming that the stage will be used to explore reusability.In addition to the new rendering, Avio’s 2024 full-year financial results presentation included an update on the progress of the IFD1 mission. According to the company, integration of the demonstrator is ongoing, with an initial “firing test” expected in the third quarter of 2025. This test will likely be the final major milestone before the demonstrator is launched.The lessons Avio learns from its STS initiative will be utilized in the development of its “Vega Next” rocket, which the company has stated it will introduce beyond 2032. Another key aspect of this next-generation Vega rocket is Avio’s larger M60 methalox rocket engine, the development of which is backed by €103.7 million in funding from the Italian government. The engine will be used for the first time to power the two-stage IFD2 rocket. According to its PNRR contract, Avio is required to complete the IFD2 test flight before the end of 2026.
Avio to Begin Testing Next-Gen Reusable Rocket Demonstrator in 2025By Andrew Parsonson - March 17, 2025Avio has revealed that it will complete an initial "firing test" of its IFD1 reusable rocket demonstrator in the third quarter of 2025.While the vehicle schematics were provided by Avio, this blueprint was created by European Spaceflight.Avio has announced plans to begin testing its IFD1 single-stage reusable rocket demonstrator in Q3 2025. IFD1 is one of two demonstrators being developed under Avio’s Space Transportation Systems initiative, which is backed by funding from the Italian government.In March 2023, Avio announced that it had been awarded a €181.6 million contract from the Italian government under its National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). The funding was allocated to Avio for the development of a two-stage demonstrator to advance key technologies for a successor to the Vega E rocket, which is currently under development.In May 2023, the company revealed that, as an intermediate step toward the two-stage demonstrator, it would first develop a single-stage suborbital demonstrator to validate the reignitability of its MR10 methalox rocket engine. At the time, the company stated that the vehicle might also be used to explore recovery technologies. In the latest rendering shared in Avio’s 2024 full-year financial results presentation, control surfaces resembling those on a Falcon 9 booster are visible, seemingly confirming that the stage will be used to explore reusability.In addition to the new rendering, Avio’s 2024 full-year financial results presentation included an update on the progress of the IFD1 mission. According to the company, integration of the demonstrator is ongoing, with an initial “firing test” expected in the third quarter of 2025. This test will likely be the final major milestone before the demonstrator is launched.The lessons Avio learns from its STS initiative will be utilized in the development of its “Vega Next” rocket, which the company has stated it will introduce beyond 2032. Another key aspect of this next-generation Vega rocket is Avio’s larger M60 methalox rocket engine, the development of which is backed by €103.7 million in funding from the Italian government. The engine will be used for the first time to power the two-stage IFD2 rocket. According to its PNRR contract, Avio is required to complete the IFD2 test flight before the end of 2026.
Got a change to visit the Airbus factory in the Netherlands yesterday were they make the Interstage for the VEGA-C rocket.Only 1 photo of a finished product for a future flight, as for the rest it was not allowed to take photographs.
