Credit: CNES / ESA / Arianespace / Optique Vidéo CSG / P Piron
The French government has granted Italian launch services provider Avio a ten-year licence to carry out Vega rocket operations from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana.
During the 2023 Space Summit in Seville, European Space Agency Member States approved Italy’s petition to allow Avio to market and manage Vega rocket launches independently of Arianespace, which had overseen the rocket’s operations since its introduction. On 10 July 2025, representatives from Italy, Germany, and France met at the European Space Agency headquarters to sign the Launcher Exploitation Declaration, which officially began the transfer of Vega C launch operation responsibilities to Avio. The company will formally take over the operation of the rocket with the launch of Vega C flight VV30, slated for later this year.
With its formal split from Arianespace now imminent, Avio is required to have its own licence to launch from the Guiana Space Centre, which is owned and operated by the French government. In a press release published on 19 August, the French Ministry of the Economy, Finance, and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty confirmed that, in line with the Seville agreement, Avio had been granted a ten-year licence.
“This decision confirms the role of the Guiana Space Centre as a European spaceport, intended to host new launchers and new launch service providers alongside Arianespace,” the ministry said in a short statement. “It thus strengthens Europe’s and its companies’ independent access to space.” (translated from French by European Spaceflight)
Avio will make use of the ELV launch complex at the Guiana Space Centre for the launch of its Vega C rockets. The pad was previously used for the original Vega rocket, which was officially retired in September 2024. Looking ahead, the company will shift operations to ELA-3 for its upgraded Vega E rocket. The complex previously hosted Ariane 5 launches before that vehicle’s retirement in July 2023. The inaugural flight of Vega E is currently expected to take place between late 2027 and early 2028.