ESA - Vega - Archive

ESA title

Vega first launched in 2012 from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana to complement Europe’s heavy-lift Ariane rockets. Vega-C, a more powerful variant with greater payload volume and improved competitiveness, took over this role with its inaugural flight on 13 June 2022. Vega-E is now in development to further increase performance while reducing launch service costs.

Last launch: VV28, Vega-C with Korea Aerospace Research Institute's Kompsat-7 (Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite-7), 1 December 14:21 local time (17:21 GMT, 18:21 CET).

Next launch: VV29, Vega-C with European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences Smile, 9 April 03:29 local time (08:29 CEST/07:29 BST).

Vega

Smile delivered to space (artist impression, GIF)

Science & Exploration

T-20 days: Smile to launch on 9 April

20/03/2026 1757 views 33 likes

Smile arrives at Europe's Spaceport

Science & Exploration

Smile arrives at Europe’s Spaceport

09/03/2026 2358 views 28 likes

Smile leaving Saint-Nazaire in France

Science & Exploration

Smile sets sail for Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana

20/02/2026 2686 views 36 likes

Kompsat-7 launched on Vega-C

Enabling & Support

Kompsat-7 launched on Vega-C

28/11/2025 1744 views 18 likes

ESA Council at Delegate level meets in Bremen on the eve of CM25.

Enabling & Support

Ensuring autonomous access to space for Europe

27/11/2025 2952 views 13 likes

ESA and CAS teams working on the Smile mission

Science & Exploration

Smile approved for launch in spring 2026

20/11/2025 4948 views 43 likes

Artist's view of Ariane 6 and Vega-C

Enabling & Support

Two arrangements mark a new step for Ariane 6 and Vega-C ex…

14/11/2025 2006 views 24 likes

ESA and Avio signature for a reuseable upper stage demonstration mission

Enabling & Support

ESA and Avio sign contract for a reuseable upper stage demo…

29/09/2025 5083 views 52 likes

MicroCarb in preparation for its flight on Vega-C

Enabling & Support

Europe’s new carbon-monitoring mission launches on Vega-C

28/07/2025 1597 views 16 likes

Hoisting satellites for Vega-C flight VV27 to the top of the rocket

Enabling & Support

Watch live: Vega-C to launch CO3D and MicroCarb

23/07/2025 6748 views 47 likes

Vega-C flight VV27 payload installation on top of the rocket

Enabling & Support

Building Vega-C flight VV27

22/07/2025 1117 views 15 likes

Biomass takes to the skies

Biomass launched to count forest carbon

29/04/2025 18794 views 136 likes

Vega-C fairing release revealing Biomass

Watch Biomass launch live

24/04/2025 22564 views 66 likes

Sealing Biomass within the Vega-C fairing

Forest mission sealed within rocket fairing for liftoff

16/04/2025 3614 views 67 likes

Biomass heads for the launch site

ESA’s pioneering Biomass satellite arrives at launch site

10/03/2025 4781 views 54 likes

Perfect placement for Smile’s payload module

Science & Exploration

When two become one: engineers get Smile ready for launch

06/03/2025 3060 views 48 likes

Radar mission takes to the skies aboard Vega-C

Enabling & Support

Vega contracts for future operations and development

18/12/2024 3089 views 27 likes

FORUM

ESA signs launch contract for climate mission FORUM with Av…

18/12/2024 1781 views 21 likes

Vega-C lifts off with Sentinel-1C

Double win for Europe: Sentinel-1C and Vega-C take to the s…

06/12/2024 12724 views 68 likes

Vega-C with Sentinel-1C on the launch pad

Enabling & Support

Vega-C complete for return to flight

04/12/2024 4382 views 31 likes

Artist's impression of Copernicus Sentinel-1C in its Vega-C launcher

Watch live: Vega-C to launch Sentinel-1C

29/11/2024 30616 views 47 likes

Lowering Zefiro-40 stage for Vega-C flight VV25 in the launch tower

Enabling & Support

Building Vega-C flight VV25 for Sentinel-1C

15/10/2024 2477 views 22 likes

Second Zefiro-40 test fire for Vega-C

Enabling & Support

Last rocket motor firing clears path for Vega-C launch

03/10/2024 3919 views 49 likes

Last Vega flight VV24 takes to the skies

Enabling & Support

Farewell to Vega

05/09/2024 2644 views 12 likes

Sentinel-2C takes to the skies

Sentinel-2C joins the Copernicus family in orbit

05/09/2024 14397 views 84 likes

Sentinel-2C being encapsulated in the Vega fairing

Sentinel-2C sealed in the Vega rocket fairing

23/08/2024 3173 views 40 likes

Sentinel-2C arrives in Kourou

Sentinel-2C arrives in French Guiana

22/07/2024 4265 views 45 likes

Enabling & Support

ESA Council decisions set the stage for more diverse Europ…

05/07/2024 5166 views 5 likes

Zefiro-40 hot fire test

Enabling & Support

Successful engine test boosts Vega-C towards return-to-flig…

28/05/2024 1691 views 7 likes

Science & Exploration

Smiles all round: Vega-C to launch ESA solar wind mission

30/04/2024 3481 views 35 likes

PRETTY is testing 'slant' reflectometry

Enabling & Support

Icy first light of shoebox-sized PRETTY CubeSat

07/03/2024 1665 views 7 likes

Vega VV23 liftoff

Enabling & Support

Vega flies to bring satellites to space

09/10/2023 13155 views 88 likes

Inspecting CubeSats

Enabling & Support

Shoebox-sized space labs being launched by Vega

06/10/2023 4794 views 47 likes

PRETTY is testing 'slant' reflectometry

Enabling & Support

Vega’s PRETTY CubeSat: unlocking satnav for Earth data

05/10/2023 3428 views 47 likes

Proba-V Companion CubeSat

Enabling & Support

Big Earth imager to be tested on small Vega CubeSat

04/10/2023 2938 views 58 likes

ESTCube-2

Enabling & Support

Vega’s ESTCube-2 tether to the future

03/10/2023 3796 views 68 likes

Enabling & Support

Vega's fuel-free CubeSats to keep formation with wings

27/09/2023 5537 views 87 likes

Vega-C VV21 liftoff 13 July 2022, Europe's Spaceport French Guiana

Enabling & Support

Behind the photo: Vega-C inaugural liftoff

02/09/2022 1278 views 9 likes

Vega C VV21 liftoff 13 July 2022, Europe's Spaceport French Guiana

Enabling & Support

Vega-C successfully completes inaugural flight

13/07/2022 12603 views 84 likes

The Vega-C Payload Assembly Composite (PAC) with LARES-2 has beenintegrated onto the Vega-C launch Vehicle on 7 July 2022 at Europe's Space Port in Kourou, French Guiana.

Enabling & Support

Vega-C: watch tomorrow's launch

12/07/2022 1467 views 1 likes

Vega C PAC rollout, VV21

Enabling & Support

T - 2 days to inaugural Vega-C launch: watch it live

11/07/2022 778 views 1 likes

The Vega-C Payload Assembly Composite (PAC) with LARES-2 has beenintegrated onto the Vega-C launch Vehicle on 7 July 2022 at Europe's Space Port in Kourou, French Guiana.

Enabling & Support

Vega-C: watch the launch

08/07/2022 18636 views 64 likes

Vega-C VV21 LARES-2 livery artists impression

Enabling & Support

Vega-C set for inaugural launch

04/07/2022 13969 views 90 likes

Enabling & Support

Vega-C inaugural flight VV21 media kit

04/07/2022 8597 views 58 likes

10 May 2022: The Vega-C Zefiro-9 third stage has now been transferred to and integrated at the Vega Launch Zone (Zone de Lancement Vega) ZLV at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana

Enabling & Support

Vega-C stacks up for inaugural flight VV21

11/05/2022 2153 views 10 likes

Vega-E is being targeted to fly from 2026 as the next evolution of the Vega launch system.

Enabling & Support

M10 engine test success marks key step toward Vega-E

06/05/2022 4591 views 16 likes

Enabling & Support

Vega-C: Launcher integration begins for inaugural flight VV…

26/04/2022 3789 views 57 likes

Radar vision

Ride into orbit secured for Sentinel-1C

08/04/2022 30682 views 101 likes

Launch of Vega VV20

Enabling & Support

ESA’s Vega rocket marks ten years with countdown to more po…

11/02/2022 3721 views 55 likes

FLEX

Ride into space on Vega-C secured for FLEX and Altius

11/01/2022 4802 views 94 likes

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