Avio has announced plans to begin testing its IFD1 single-stage reusable rocket demonstrator in Q3 2025. IFD1 is one of two demonstrators being developed under Avio’s Space Transportation Systems initiative, which is backed by funding from the Italian government.
In March 2023, Avio announced that it had been awarded a €181.6 million contract from the Italian government under its National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). The funding was allocated to Avio for the development of a two-stage demonstrator to advance key technologies for a successor to the Vega E rocket, which is currently under development.
In May 2023, the company revealed that, as an intermediate step toward the two-stage demonstrator, it would first develop a single-stage suborbital demonstrator to validate the reignitability of its MR10 methalox rocket engine. At the time, the company stated that the vehicle might also be used to explore recovery technologies. In the latest rendering shared in Avio’s 2024 full-year financial results presentation, control surfaces resembling those on a Falcon 9 booster are visible, seemingly confirming that the stage will be used to explore reusability.
In addition to the new rendering, Avio’s 2024 full-year financial results presentation included an update on the progress of the IFD1 mission. According to the company, integration of the demonstrator is ongoing, with an initial “firing test” expected in the third quarter of 2025. This test will likely be the final major milestone before the demonstrator is launched.
The lessons Avio learns from its STS initiative will be utilized in the development of its “Vega Next” rocket, which the company has stated it will introduce beyond 2032. Another key aspect of this next-generation Vega rocket is Avio’s larger M60 methalox rocket engine, the development of which is backed by €103.7 million in funding from the Italian government. The engine will be used for the first time to power the two-stage IFD2 rocket. According to its PNRR contract, Avio is required to complete the IFD2 test flight before the end of 2026.
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