ArianeGroup and Avio renew their industrial partnership to secure Europe's independent access to space

ArianeGroup and Avio have concluded an important agreement that renews their industrial cooperation to secure Europe's independent access to space. Europropulsion, a joint venture equally owned by ArianeGroup and Avio, 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 three years and is an important milestone for Ariane 6.

Developed jointly by ArianeGroup and Avio 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 oygen turbopumps for ArianeGroup's Vulcain engine that equips the first stage of Ariane 6. ArianeGroup will supply a range of components and equipment for the Vega C launcher. The cooperation builds on a longstanding industrial partnership between ArianeGroup and Avio and gives visibility to both companies for the next three years.

Martin Sion, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ArianeGroup, said: “The ramp-up of Ariane 6 is in full swing. The arrival of the P160C motor opens a new chapter for Ariane 6 and Vega C. I would like to thank the teams at ArianeGroup and Avio. The agreement demonstrates once again that cooperation is key to ensure a competitive and autonomous European access to space.”

Giulio Ranzo, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Avio, said: “Avio and Ariane Group are very satisfied to have signed a broad industrial agreement, seeking to capture synergies between Ariane 6 and Vega C to improve technology and performance as well as to increase cost competitiveness. Their joint venture Europropulsion, now over 30 years old, remains a fundamental building block of European's capabilities to access space.”