Credit: CNES / ESA / Avio / Optique Vidéo du CSG / P Piron
The Italian launch services provider Avio has postponed the launch of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) SMILE mission aboard a Vega C rocket after an issue was identified on the production line of a subsystem component.
Avio began preparations for the launch of SMILE in mid-February with the transfer of the P120C first stage from the Booster Storage Building to the ZLV launch pad. The transfer marked the beginning of the first Vega flight managed by Avio itself, after the company’s split from Arianespace-managed flights. In early April, the mission’s payload, encased in the Vega C fairing, was successfully stacked, marking the last major event before the rocket’s launch on 9 May.
On 5 April, Avio announced that it had postponed the flight after a supplier discovered a “technical issue” on a subsystem component production line after the rocket had already been fully integrated. The company did not share any details about the nature of the subsystem component.
According to the 5 April announcement, the supplier is conducting additional investigations to ensure that the technical issue identified is not present aboard the fully integrated Vega C rocket being prepared for launch in French Guiana. It added that an updated launch date would not be announced until these investigations were complete in order to “safeguard the flightworthiness” of the Vega C launch system.
Following a successful debut in July 2022, the Vega C rocket was grounded for two years after its second flight in December 2022 failed. The grounding included a failed static fire test intended to recertify the rocket’s second stage for flight, prompting a redesign of the stage’s nozzle. Since its return to flight in December 2024, the rocket has completed four consecutive successful flights, all managed by Arianespace.
During the 2023 Space Summit in Seville, ESA Member States approved Avio’s split from Arianespace, allowing the Italian rocket builder to independently market and manage Vega C launches. The terms of the split were only finalised in early July 2024, with Arianespace continuing to manage Vega C flights until the end of 2025. As the SMILE mission is set to be the first launch managed by Avio itself, the company is unlikely to rush the flight and risk a failure on its first outing.
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