A small launcher for Europe

With Ariane 5, Europe has its own high-performance, cost-effective heavy-lift launcher capable of orbiting the heaviest satellites.

But while the trend is towards bigger payloads, there is also a growing market for small satellites. In 1998, ESA started development of a small solid-propellant launcher called Vega to meet this need.

The objective is to provide quick, easy and affordable access to space.

To this end, Vega will complement the Ariane and Soyuz families, designed to orbit heavier payloads, and will enable launch operator Arianespace to offer customers a complete range of services. Europe's independant launch capability will thus be enhanced.

7 nations are contributing to Vega’s development: Belgium, France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Like Ariane, Vega will operate from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. At the Guiana Space Centre, work to accommodate the new rocket began in late 2004.