Vega is a planned expendable launch system developed by the European Space Agency since 1998, with the first launch planned for 2006. It is designed to launch small payloads cheaply: 300 to 2000 kg satellites for scientific and Earth observation missions to polar and low earth orbits. It is named after the star Vega. It is a single body launcher with three solid rocket stages, the P80 first stage, the Zefiro23 second stage, the Zefiro9 third stage, and a liquid rocket upper module called AVUM. The technology developed for the P80 program shall also be used for future Ariane developments. Italy is the leading contributor to the Vega programme with 65%, other participants being France (12.43%), Belgium (5.63%), Spain (5%), The Netherlands (3.5%), Switzerland (1.34%) and Sweden (0.8%). Belgium, France, Italy and The Netherlands also contribute to the P80 programme.

The reference VEGA mission is a polar orbit bringing a spacecraft of 1,500 kilos to an altitude of 700 kilometers. It is intended for Institutional Customers and therefore completely separate from the customers of converted Russian and Ukrainian ICBMs (in any case limited to the existing stock of ICBMs in question).

External link

• Vega launcher, European Space Agency.
• First stone for Vega at Europe's Spaceport
• Listening to Vega
• Vega brochure