Avio and Ariane Group have concluded an important agreement that renews their industrial cooperation to secure Europe’s independent access to space on November 14 (see AVIONEWS). Europropulsion, a joint-venture equally owned by both industries, will supply P160C solid rocket motors for the stabilized exploitation phase of Europe’s heavy launcher Ariane 6. The contract secures the production of the P160C for the next years up to 2029 and is an important milestone for Ariane 6.

Developed jointly by both companies through Europropulsion, the P160C is a common solid rocket motor for boosters on Ariane 6 and for Vega C first stage, as a shared building block of the two European launcher families. This new motor has a significantly increased performance compared to the current Ariane 6 and Vega C boosters, and was ground qualified in 2025. The first Ariane 6 launch with the P160C is planned for the second quarter 2026 in the Ariane 6 configuration with four boosters.

As part of the commercial agreement, Avio will also supply additional liquid oxygen turbopumps for Ariane Group’s Vulcain engine that equips the first stage of Ariane 6. Ariane Group will supply a range of components and equipment for the Vega C launcher. The cooperation builds on a longstanding industrial partnership between Ariane Group and Avio and gives visibility to both companies for the next years, at least up to 2029.