European Rocket Launches in 2024
| Date | Launch Site | Operator | Rocket | Mission | Payload/Customer | Orbit | Outcome | Mission Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7/2/2024 | Esrange | T-Minus | Dart | Prime | Tech Demo (KTH Royal Institute of Technology) | Suborbital | Partial Failure | |
| 15/2/2024 | Esrange | DLR/ESA | VSB-30 | TEXUS 59 | SAFARI TOPOFLAME T-REX | Suborbital | Successful | |
| 27/2/2024 | Esrange | DLR/ESA | Red Kite | MAPHEUS-14 | COSMO (MORABA) ROMS SOMEX NYMEX LIFT MIND-G MINIPLAX DEIMOS AURORE-II (Astronomisk Ungdom) ADI-ECHO (ResearchSat) CEMIR (Karolinska) RADICALS (RMIT) | Suborbital | Successful | |
| 12/3/2024 | Esrange | DLR/Rymdstyrelsen | Improved Orion | REXUS 32 | BOOMERANG DROPSTAR GAMEon SHEAR | Suborbital | Successful | Mission Page |
| 14/3/2024 | Esrange | DLR/Rymdstyrelsen | Improved Orion | REXUS 31 | CREATE FerrAS PR4 TRACE | Suborbital | Successful | Mission Page |
| 24/3/2024 | Esrange | DLR/JAXA | VSB-30 | TEXUS 60 | SIMONA 06-23 GECO 06-38 PHOENIX 2 06-48 | Suborbital | Successful | Mission Page |
| Future Launches ↓ | ||||||||
| Late June | CSG - ELA-4 | Arianespace | Ariane 6 | VA262 | SpaceCase SC-X01 (ArianeGroup) Bikini Capsule (The Exploration Company) PariSat (Garef Aerospatial) Peregrinus (Sint-Pieterscollege) LIFI (OLEDCOMM) SIDLOC (Libre Space) YPSat/Eye2Sky (ESA) OOV-Cube (RapidCube) Curium One (Planetary Transportation System) RAMI (UARX Space) ExoPod NOVA (ExoLaunch) ISTSAT (University of Lisbon) 3Cat4 (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya) GRBBEta (Spacemanic) ROBUSTA-3 (CSUM) CURIE (NASA) REPLICATOR (RIDE!space / Orbital Matter) Ride!6U (RIDE!space) | LEO | Mission Page | |
| August | SaxaVord - Fredo | Rocket Factory Augsburg | RFA ONE | AllBertEinStein (TU Munich) ARTICA (SPACEMIND) Curium Two (PTS) ERMINAZ (AMSAT-Deutschland) PCIOD (DCUBED) Seperation Ring Mission (SPACEMIND) SpaceDREAM (Kinetik Space) | SSO | |||
| September | CSG - ELA-1 | Arianespace/Avio | Vega | VV24 | Sentinel-2C (ESA) | SSO | ||
| Q3 | Esrange | SSC/ESA | VSB-30 | MASER 16 | Suborbital | |||
| Q4 | CSG - ELA-1 | Arianespace/Avio | Vega-C | VV25 | Sentinel-1C (ESA) |
If there is an error or an omission, please contact andrewp@europeanspaceflight.com
European institutional rocket launches in 2024
In 2024, Europe is poised to redefine the outlook of its rocket launch capability. This year, the continent will see the introduction of the long-awaited Ariane 6 rocket which will replace Ariane 5 as Europe’s premier heavy-lift rocket. However, this is only one element of the sea change that is set to occur in 2024.
2024 is also the year in which the accident-plagued Vega C rocket is expected to return to flight. This flight is expected to occur towards the end of the year. However, before that happens, Vega rocket builder Avio will need to complete two ground tests of its Zefiro 40 second stage. At the same time, Avio will also be taking over the marketing and operation of the Vega family of rockets from Arianespace following a deal reached in late 2023. As a result, 2024 could very well be a tipping point for Avio that could go either way.
Commercial European rocket launches in 2024
In addition to institutional introductions, multiple European launch startups are aiming to debut their privately developed launch vehicles with European rocket launches in 2024. Companies aiming to make debuts in 2024 include Rocket Factory Augsburg, Isar Aerospace, Skyrora and Orbex. While it’s unlikely that all will make an attempt in the 12 months of 2024, it’s increasingly likely that at least one will. This flight will mark a significant milestone in the development of sovereign European commercial rocket launch capabilities. These commercial flights will also see the inauguration of several sovereign launch facilities, with SaxaVord, Sutherland, and Andøya all expected to host their maiden rocket flights.
European suborbital rocket launches in 2024
While the planned orbital mission will most likely get much of the news coverage, Europe has several suborbital flights expected from multiple launch sites throughout Europe. These flights include institutional flights led by ESA and DLR and commercial flights from companies like SpaceForrest and PLD Space.
2024 European rocket launch highlights
| Date | Mission | Highlight |
|---|---|---|
| 7/2/2024 | T-Minus Prime | The T-Minus Prime mission was the first European rocket launch of 2024. |
| 27/2/2024 | MAPHEUS-14 | The MAPHEUS-14 flight was the first to utilize the Red Kite booster, which was developed by DLR and Bayern-Chemie. The suborbital rocket launch carried more than ten small individual payloads. |
