ESA and AGUIO ADVANCE DESIGN OF THE UPPER STAGE OF THE REUTILIZABLE RELEWELL
By Erica Marchand
Paris, France (SPX) September 30, 2025
That has signed a contract with Avio to develop a demonstration mission for a higher stage of reusable rockets, marking a step towards European launch systems. The program will define the system requirements, explore disruptive solutions and deliver preliminary designs for flight infrastructure and soil.
The initiative is based on previous industrial works and aims to reduce the risks associated with the development of reuse, ultimately improving flexibility, profitability and competitiveness for European space transport. That anticipates that orbit the logistics centers that operate very like terrestrial airports, benefiting from frequent and totally reusable flights.
The Director of Space Transport of the ESA, Toni Tolker-Nielsen, pointed out the double importance of the contract: to address the technical challenges in the short term while shaping the long-term strategy of Europe. The upper stages, also known as orbital stages, have never been reused before, thought that Europe has validated individual technologies of re -entry and recovery. Integrating them into a completely reusable higher stage could transform access to space.
Giorgio Tumino, the main technical advisor for space transport, highlighted the approach harmonized with avio, taking advantage of the advances in liquid propulsion, resentment and reuse technologies. The work is complemented with consumption efforts to eliminate the lowest reusable stages and can influence the evolutions of the Vega Rocket family, as well as future reusable European pitchers.
The Avio CEO, Giulio Ranzo, said the company will take advantage of its experience in liquid oxygen-methian motors and the Space Rider re-entry vehicle, a light and high performance solution. He added that the project aims to support next -generation pitchers that offer higher flight rates and more competitive costs.
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