The final launch of an Avio rocket may have already taken place. Tomorrow’s launch will feature the first and only mission launched aboard the lesser-known FrankenVega.
In late 2023, European Spaceflight reported that Avio had managed to lose two of four propellant tanks needed for the fourth stage of its final Vega rocket. The tanks were later found destroyed in a landfill, prompting Italian rocket maker Avio to begin looking for an alternative solution for the tanks, which were no longer being produced.
Avio explored two possible options: use tanks from the rocket’s qualification phase before its inaugural flight in 2012 or modify the stage with elements of the Vega C AVUM+ upper stage.
Late last month, Stéphane Israël, CEO of Arianespace, the current operator of the Vega rocket, declined to comment on which of the two solutions had been implemented. Neither Avio nor ESA has been more forthcoming with information regarding the makeup of the upper stage being used for the final Vega flight.
A source speaking to European Spaceflight has confirmed that the option of the refurbished qualification tanks was rejected. As a result, the Vega upper stage being utilized for the launch of the EU’s Sentinel 2C Earth observation satellite features at least some elements of a Vega C upper stage. According to the source, an AVUM+ upper stage that had been earmarked for a future Vega C flight was cannibalized for the parts needed for the Frankenstage.
While the stage will incorporate elements of an AVUM+ upper stage, it must retain a significant portion of its original design to avoid the need for requalification by ESA. However, given the unique situation and the untested nature of these components being combined into a single stage, ESA appears to be accepting additional risk for the launch of an important payload.
