spacetoday.net: Final Vega launch delays to replace missing fuel tanks

Posted: Sun, Dec 17, 2023, 10:03 AM ET (1503 GMT)
The final launch of the original version of the Vega rocket will be delayed to replace missing upper-stage tanks. ESA officials said Thursday that the Vega launch, which had been scheduled for the spring, is now planned for September. They acknowledged there is an "issue" with propellant tanks for its Avum upper stage after a report last week that two of the tanks were misplaced and later found crushed in a landfill. ESA said they will replace the tanks with larger ones used for the Avum+ upper stage on the Vega C, a process that is "feasible" but will require structural modifications to the Avum. Officials also revealed Thursday there was an abort during an upper stage hot-fire test for the Ariane 6 last week that remains under investigation, but with currently no impact on its planned mid-2024 inaugural launch.