Family-level launch record combining canonical variants, historical missions, public cadence forecasts, and available payload performance specs.
Historical missions are grouped by actual launch year. Forecast cadence uses family-level launch-rate rows.
| Year | Historical missions | Forecast launches |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 3 | 0 |
| 2026 | 1 | 4 |
| 2027 | 0 | 5 |
| 2028 | 0 | 6 |
| 2029 | 0 | 6 |
| 2030 | 0 | 6 |
| 2031 | 0 | 6 |
| 2032 | 0 | 6 |
| 2033 | 0 | 6 |
| 2034 | 0 | 6 |
| 2035 | 0 | 6 |
| 2036 | 0 | 6 |
| 2037 | 0 | 6 |
| 2038 | 0 | 6 |
| 2039 | 0 | 6 |
Payload capacity by variant and target orbit when structured capacity rows are available.
| Variant | Orbit | Capacity | Altitude | Inclination | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vega C | LEO | 3,300 kg | Unknown | Unknown | ESA Vega-C page |
Vega C | LEO | 3,000 kg | 500 km | 5.2 deg | Avio Vega C User's Manual Issue 1 Rev 0 |
Latest launched missions using variants in this family.
| Mission | Variant | Launch |
|---|---|---|
| SMILE Mission | Vega C | May 19, 2026 |
| Kompsat-7 | Vega C | Dec 1, 2025 |
| CO3D/MicroCarb | Vega C | Jul 26, 2025 |
| Biomass Mission |
Canonical variants rolled up into this launch vehicle family.
| Variant | Stages | Missions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Vega C | Not stated | 7 | Active |
Vega-C Block 2 | 4 | 0 | Development |
| 2040 | 0 | 6 |
| 2041 | 0 | 6 |
1 launch location represented.
| Year | Location | Launches | Confidence | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Guiana Space Centre | Vega Launch Zone | 4 | 35% | Vega C cadence curve: conservative European small-launch steady state after return-to-flight and production normalization. |
| 2027 | Guiana Space Centre | Vega Launch Zone | 5 | 35% | Vega C cadence curve: conservative European small-launch steady state after return-to-flight and production normalization. |
| 2028 | Guiana Space Centre | Vega Launch Zone | 6 | 35% | Vega C cadence curve: conservative European small-launch steady state after return-to-flight and production normalization. |
| 2029 | Guiana Space Centre | Vega Launch Zone | 6 | 35% | Vega C cadence curve: conservative European small-launch steady state after return-to-flight and production normalization. |
| 2030 | Guiana Space Centre | Vega Launch Zone | 6 | 35% | Vega C cadence curve: conservative European small-launch steady state after return-to-flight and production normalization. |
| 2031 | Guiana Space Centre | Vega Launch Zone | 6 | 35% | Vega C cadence curve: conservative European small-launch steady state after return-to-flight and production normalization. |
| 2032 | Guiana Space Centre | Vega Launch Zone | 6 | 35% | Vega C cadence curve: conservative European small-launch steady state after return-to-flight and production normalization. |
| 2033 | Guiana Space Centre | Vega Launch Zone | 6 | 35% | Vega C cadence curve: conservative European small-launch steady state after return-to-flight and production normalization. |
| 2034 | Guiana Space Centre | Vega Launch Zone | 6 | 35% | Vega C cadence curve: conservative European small-launch steady state after return-to-flight and production normalization. |
| 2035 | Guiana Space Centre | Vega Launch Zone | 6 | 35% | Vega C cadence curve: conservative European small-launch steady state after return-to-flight and production normalization. |
| 2036 | Guiana Space Centre | Vega Launch Zone | 6 | 35% | Vega C cadence curve: conservative European small-launch steady state after return-to-flight and production normalization. |
| 2037 | Guiana Space Centre | Vega Launch Zone | 6 | 35% | Vega C cadence curve: conservative European small-launch steady state after return-to-flight and production normalization. |
| 2038 | Guiana Space Centre | Vega Launch Zone | 6 | 35% | Vega C cadence curve: conservative European small-launch steady state after return-to-flight and production normalization. |
| 2039 | Guiana Space Centre | Vega Launch Zone | 6 | 35% | Vega C cadence curve: conservative European small-launch steady state after return-to-flight and production normalization. |
| 2040 | Guiana Space Centre | Vega Launch Zone | 6 | 35% | Vega C cadence curve: conservative European small-launch steady state after return-to-flight and production normalization. |
| 2041 | Guiana Space Centre | Vega Launch Zone | 6 | 35% | Vega C cadence curve: conservative European small-launch steady state after return-to-flight and production normalization. Site-year coverage backfill copied n... |
Vega C cadence curve: conservative European small-launch steady state after return-to-flight and production normalization.
Vega C cadence curve: conservative European small-launch steady state after return-to-flight and production normalization.
Vega C cadence curve: conservative European small-launch steady state after return-to-flight and production normalization.
Vega C cadence curve: conservative European small-launch steady state after return-to-flight and production normalization.
Vega C cadence curve: conservative European small-launch steady state after return-to-flight and production normalization.
Vega C | LEO | 2,560 kg | 700 km | 50 deg | Avio Vega C User's Manual Issue 1 Rev 0 |
Vega C | LEO | 2,550 kg | 500 km | 50 deg | Avio Vega C User's Manual Issue 1 Rev 0 |
Vega C | LEO | 2,470 kg | 500 km | 70 deg | Avio Vega C User's Manual Issue 1 Rev 0 |
Vega C | SSO | 2,423 kg | 500 km | 97.4 deg | Avio Vega C User's Manual Issue 1 Rev 0 |
Vega C | LEO | 2,410 kg | 700 km | 70 deg | Avio Vega C User's Manual Issue 1 Rev 0 |
Vega C | LEO | 2,350 kg | 500 km | 25 deg | Avio Vega C User's Manual Issue 1 Rev 0 |
Vega C | LEO | 2,340 kg | 700 km | 25 deg | Avio Vega C User's Manual Issue 1 Rev 0 |
Vega C | SSO | 2,300 kg | Unknown | Unknown | ESA Vega-C page |
Vega C | SSO | 2,266 kg | 700 km | 98.2 deg | Avio Vega C User's Manual Issue 1 Rev 0 |
Vega C | SSO | 2,200 kg | 700 km | Unknown | CNES CSG Vega-C page |
Vega C | HEO | 2,200 kg | Unknown | Unknown | Avio Vega C User Manual Issue 1 Rev 0 |
Vega-C Block 2 | LEO | 600 kg | Unknown | Unknown | Space Launch Now Vega-C Block 2 / Space Rider |
Vega C |
| Apr 29, 2025 |
| Sentinel-1C Mission | Vega C | Dec 5, 2024 |
| Launch 2022-F06 | Vega C | Dec 21, 2022 |
| LARES 2 Mission | Vega C | Jul 13, 2022 |
Upcoming mission rows with announced launch timing.
| Mission | Variant | Announced |
|---|---|---|
No forecasted missionsNo upcoming announced mission rows are linked to this vehicle family. | ||
Vega C cadence curve: conservative European small-launch steady state after return-to-flight and production normalization.
Vega C cadence curve: conservative European small-launch steady state after return-to-flight and production normalization.
Vega C cadence curve: conservative European small-launch steady state after return-to-flight and production normalization.
Vega C cadence curve: conservative European small-launch steady state after return-to-flight and production normalization.
Vega C cadence curve: conservative European small-launch steady state after return-to-flight and production normalization.
Vega C cadence curve: conservative European small-launch steady state after return-to-flight and production normalization.
Vega C cadence curve: conservative European small-launch steady state after return-to-flight and production normalization.
Ariane 6 and Vega C are intended to provide Europe with sustainable and autonomous access to space.
CSG-2 was originally slated to launch on a Vega C vehicle, but ASI elected last fall to move the launch to a Falcon 9 because the first Vega C launch was delayed until at least May.
ASI contracted the launch of the CSG-3 satellite with Arianespace and Vega C for a mission planned in 2024.
The first Vega-C flight was scheduled to take place in 2022.
Arianespace’s Vega and Vega C launch solutions support missions in the 100–500 kg class.
The PLATiNO 1 and PLATiNO 2 launches are scheduled to occur between 2022 and 2024 using Vega and Vega C launch vehicles.
Arianespace planned up to two additional Vega C launches later in 2022 following the maiden flight.
Vega C, the upgraded version of the Vega small launch vehicle, had its first launch planned for the second quarter of 2022.
Two additional Pléiades Neo satellites are slated to launch together on an upgraded Vega C rocket in the first half of 2022 to complete the four-satellite constellation.
The last two satellites of the Pléiades Neo constellation are scheduled to be placed into orbit in 2022 using the Vega C launch vehicle.
Space Rider will be launched by a VEGA-C rocket in 2023.
Airbus shifted plans for the inaugural Pleiades Neo launch after Vega C’s debut flight was pushed into mid-2021 following a separate July 2019 Vega launch failure.
The inaugural Pleiades Neo spacecraft had been slated to launch on the upgraded Vega C rocket in 2020.
The initial four-satellite CO3D constellation is slated to be launched aboard a Vega C in 2023.
Airbus plans to use Vega and Avio’s Vega C to launch the remaining three Pléiades Neo satellites because those satellites exceed Spectrum’s 700-kilogram to SSO capacity.
Airbus plans to use Vega and Avio’s upcoming Vega C to launch the three remaining Pléiades Neo satellites because those satellites exceed Spectrum’s 700-kilogram-to-SSO capacity.
The initial four-satellite CO3D constellation is slated to be launched aboard a Vega C in 2023.
ESA's New European Space Transportation Solutions initiative prepares for the future beyond Ariane 6 and Vega-C.
EUMETSAT signed a joint statement in December 2020 on the institutional exploitation of Ariane 6 and Vega C favoring a European preference for launchers on institutional missions in Europe.
With Vega C, Arianespace will offer enhanced performance and greater payload volume for future customers at the same price as launches by Vega.