Italian spacecraft launchers were
the de fact show openers at the International Space and
Aeronautics Salon at Le Bourget near Paris on Monday.
Le Bourget salon is the oldest and largest of its kind, and
the Advanced Generation European Carrier Rocket, or Vega - made
by Colleferro-based manufacturer Avio - is the most innovative
and forward-looking family of small orbital launchers in use by
the European Space Agency (ESA).
Avio debuted Monday with a new look and a new logo, its A
intersected by an arch suggesting both an orbit's trajectory and
a planet's profile.
"Beginning today, Avio is identifying with aerospace
engineering on a visual level," said Chairman and CEO Pier
Giuliano Lasagni.
Avio (which stands for Advanced Vision Into Orbit) is 81%
held by European private equity firm Cinven, 14% by Italy's
defence and aerospace giant Finmeccanica, and 5% by other
investors.
Avio's Vega C launcher has been approved by the ESA and is
set to go into orbit in 2018, while its P120 engine at the base
of the future Ariane 6 launcher is slated to go into space in
2020.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
