14/03/2023 (Agence Europe) – The company Arianespace announced, on Tuesday 14 March, the signing of a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA), acting on behalf of the Italian government, for two launch services using Vega-C rockets produced by the Italian company Avio. The contract also includes an option for a third dedicated launch. These missions, scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2025 from Kourou, will contribute to the deployment of the future Italian Earth observation satellite constellation(IRIDE), the investment for which amounts to approximately €1.1 billion. The Vega-C order book now stands at 15 firm launches, although the last launch of a Vega-C rocket was a failure (see EUROPE 13134/26). (CG)