Europe's workhorse for small and medium satellites — complementing Ariane 6 in ESA's launch fleet. Enhanced performance, shared P120C booster with Ariane 6, and a critical role in maintaining European launch autonomy.
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Vega-C is the enhanced version of ESA's Vega small launch vehicle, designed primarily to serve the European institutional market for small and medium satellite missions. Developed under Italian leadership (Avio is the prime contractor), Vega-C provides approximately 50% more payload capacity than its predecessor while maintaining competitive pricing.
A key feature is the P120C first-stage solid rocket motor, which is also used as the strap-on booster for Ariane 6. This commonality reduces manufacturing costs and provides supply chain efficiencies across the European launch fleet. The vehicle also features a new Zefiro-40 second stage and an improved AVUM+ upper stage with restart capability for complex multi-orbit deployments.
Vega-C's second flight in December 2022 ended in failure due to a nozzle anomaly on the Zefiro-40 second stage, grounding the vehicle for an extended investigation and return-to-flight campaign. Its reliability track record is critical for European launch autonomy, particularly for Copernicus Sentinel satellite deployments and ESA institutional missions.
Enter a payload mass and destination orbit to rank the global fleet by suitability — capability, cost, reliability and fit. Live calculation across 14 active launch vehicles.
| Vehicle | Class | Height | LEO kg | $/kg | Flights | Reuse | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇪🇺 Vega-C you are here | Small-to-medium-lift | 34.8 m | 2,350 | $17,000 | 2 | No | Return to flight |
| 🇺🇸 Falcon 9 | Medium-lift | 70 m | 22,800 | $2,700 | 400+ | ♻︎ Yes | Active |
| 🇺🇸 Falcon Heavy | Heavy-lift | 70 m | 63,800 | $1,520 | 12 | ♻︎ Yes | Active |
| 🇺🇸 Starship | Super heavy-lift | 121 m | 150,000 | — | 7+ | ♻︎ Yes | In development |
| 🇺🇸 SLS | Super heavy-lift | 98.1 m | 95,000 | $23,000 | 1 | No | Active |
| 🇺🇸 New Glenn | Heavy-lift | 98 m | 45,000 | — | 1 | ♻︎ Yes | Active |
| 🇺🇸 New Shepard | Suborbital | 18.3 m | — | — | 25 | ♻︎ Yes | Active |
| 🇨🇳 Long March 5B | Heavy-lift | 53.7 m | 25,000 | — | 4 | No | Active |
| 🇪🇺 Ariane 6 | Medium-to-heavy-lift | 63 m | 21,650 | — | 1 | No | Active |
| 🇷🇺 Soyuz | Medium-lift | 46 m | 8,200 | $6,100 | 2,000+ | No | Active |
| 🇮🇳 PSLV | Medium-lift | 44 m | 3,800 | $5,500 | 60+ | No | Active |
| 🇳🇿 Electron | Small-lift | 18 m | 300 | $25,000 | 55+ | ♻︎ Yes | Active |
| 🇺🇸 Vulcan Centaur | Heavy-lift | 61.6 m | 27,200 | — | 2 | No | Active |
| 🇯🇵 H3 | Medium-to-heavy-lift | 63 m | 16,000 | $3,200 | 3 | No | Active |
Tap any column to sort · figures are list-price estimates; live flight counts update daily.