The French space agency CNES has transported the first P160C solid rocket booster to its test stand ahead of a planned test firing. The booster is intended to replace the P120C booster currently utilized by both the Ariane 6 and Vega C launch systems.
ESA announced in March 2022 that it would begin developing an upgraded variant of the P120C booster, initially referred to as the P120C+. Standing over 14 metres tall and 3.4 metres in diameter, the P160C booster carries an additional 14 tonnes of solid propellant, resulting in a total propellant load of approximately 160 tonnes. The booster is being developed under the Europulsion banner, a joint venture between ArianeGroup and Avio.
In mid-June 2024, the insulated motor case for the P160C QM3 booster began its journey to the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana. Once it arrived, the case was handed off to Regulus, another joint venture between ArianeGroup and Avio, tasked with loading it with solid propellant.
According to a 9 April ESA update, the loaded solid-fuel booster was rolled out to the Solid Motor Test Bench (BEAP) on 20 March 2025. While the update did not specify a target date for the P160C hot-fire test, Tony Dos Santos, ESA’s technical manager at the Guiana Space Centre, stated during a CNES Twitch livestream on 8 April that the test would be conducted before the facility hosts its next launch. The next launch currently scheduled from the Guiana Space Centre is a Vega C mission slated for 29 April.
Once qualified, the booster will be used on Ariane 6 Block 2 variants and Vega C. It will also serve as the first stage of Avio’s Vega E rocket, which is expected to be launched on its inaugural flight no earlier than 2027.
