AVIO
AVIO.MIAVIO is an Italian aerospace company listed on Borsa Italiana (ticker: AVIO.
- Founded
- 1984
- Headquarters
- Colleferro, Italy
- Stage
- Public
- Ownership
- Listed
- Market cap
- $1.55B-13.3% 30d
- Employees
- 1,216as of 2023
Quick Facts
About AVIO
AVIO is an Italian aerospace company listed on Borsa Italiana (ticker: AVIO.MI) specializing in the development and operation of the Vega family of small-lift launch vehicles and solid rocket motors for European launch programs. Headquartered in Colleferro, Italy, AVIO is the prime contractor for Vega and Vega-C, which launch from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. Vega-C suffered an in-flight anomaly in its second launch in December 2022 traced to a degraded nozzle in the Zefiro-23 upper stage; AVIO conducted redesign work and returned Vega-C to flight readiness in 2024.
AVIO also manufactures solid rocket boosters for Ariane 6 (P120C) and is developing Vega-E, a next-generation version using a liquid oxygen/liquid methane upper stage for improved performance and lower cost. The company employs about 1,200 people and generates around €400 million in annual revenue.
Products and product lines
| Product | Line | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Vega C | Small-lift launch vehicle | Avio's operational light-lift rocket, prime contractor under ESA funding; returned to flight on 5 December 2024 after a two-year grounding and flew three more successful missions through December 2025. |
| Vega E | Next-generation launch vehicle (in development) | Successor to Vega C replacing the third and fourth solid stages with a single LOX/methane upper stage for roughly 25% more payload capacity; maiden flight is targeted for 2027. |
| M10 | Rocket engine (liquid oxygen/methane) | Cryogenic LOX/methane engine developed by Avio for the Vega E upper stage; full-scale prototype testing began in 2020 with further firings through 2022. |
| P120C | Solid rocket motor | Common solid-fuel motor that serves as Vega C's first stage and as a strap-on booster for Ariane 6, manufactured by Avio at Colleferro. |
| Solid rocket motors for defense | Tactical/defense propulsion | Avio is expanding into solid rocket motors for missile and air-defense applications, including a March 2026 development contract with Defense Systems and Solutions and a planned $500 million production facility in Virginia. |
Timeline
- 2024 ESA agrees (August 2024) to let Avio directly commercialize Vega C and pursue non-government customers, ending Arianespace's exclusive marketing role, with the handover due to complete by the end of 2025. [source]
- 2024 Vega C returns to flight on 5 December with the VV25 mission carrying Copernicus Sentinel-1C, two years after the VV22 failure of December 2022. [source]
- 2025 Vega C flies three more successful missions during the year: VV26 (Biomass, 29 April), VV27 (CO3D quartet plus MicroCarb, 26 July) and VV28 (KOMPSAT-7, 1 December). [source]
- 2025 Avio announces (11 November) plans for a roughly $500 million solid-rocket-motor production facility in Virginia, backed by a recent €400 million capital increase, to serve the US defense market. [source]
- 2025 Taiwan's Space Agency (TASA) signs a combined deal worth over €100 million (announced 19 December), including roughly €69 million for four FORMOSAT Earth observation satellites to launch on Vega C. [source]
- 2026 Avio wins a $65 million, three-year development contract with Defense Systems and Solutions for an air-defense solid rocket motor, announced days after shareholders approved new bylaws fixing the board at nine directors. [source]
- 2026 Avio delays the ESA SMILE mission (5 April) — its first Vega C launch managed independently of Arianespace — after a supplier flagged a technical issue on a component production line. [source]
- 2026 SMILE launches on Vega C as flight VV29 on 19 May, completing Avio's first launch handled without Arianespace as commercial operator. [source]
- 2026 Avio and Advent sign an investment agreement (7 July) for Advent to acquire a minority stake in Avio. [source]
- 2026 Avio announces (30 July) it will launch the Copernicus Sentinel-3C and FLEX Earth observation satellites on Vega C, targeting 14 September 2026. [source]
Team
- Giulio RanzoCEO · source
Signals
- Market cap, 90 days
- -22.2%
- Verification
- Verified 2026-09-10
Categories & Capabilities
Industry Categories
Vehicle Types
Propulsion Systems
Stock Performance
AVIO.MI · Daily close data
Funding
Links
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Frequently asked about AVIO
Quick answers to the questions readers most often search for.
- When was AVIO founded?
- AVIO was founded in 1984 in Italy.
- Where is AVIO headquartered?
- AVIO is headquartered in Colleferro, Italy.
- What does AVIO do?
- AVIO is an Italian aerospace company listed on Borsa Italiana (ticker: AVIO.MI) specializing in the development and operation of the Vega family of small-lift launch vehicles and solid rocket motors for European launch programs. Headquartered in Colleferro, Italy, AVIO is the prime contractor for Vega and Vega-C, which…
- Is AVIO publicly traded?
- Yes. AVIO trades under the ticker AVIO.MI on Milan.
- What sector does AVIO operate in?
- AVIO works in launch services and Propulsion.
Sources
The structured fields on this page (founding year, location, sector, status, listing) and the profile text are drawn from the sources below. How profiles are drafted and checked is described in our methodology.
- Official website (avio.com)
- Market data via Yahoo Finance (AVIO.MI) · retrieved 2026-09-14
- GLEIF LEI record · retrieved 2026-09-05
- Wikipedia: Avio S.p.A. · retrieved 2026-09-10
- Wikipedia: Vega C · retrieved 2026-09-10
- Avio: Media Hub (news and press releases) · retrieved 2026-09-10
- European Spaceflight: Avio Selects Virginia for New $500 Million US-Based Production Facility (11 Nov 2025) · retrieved 2026-09-10
- European Spaceflight: Avio to Launch Four Earth Observation Satellites for Taiwan (25 Dec 2025) · retrieved 2026-09-10
- European Spaceflight: Avio Lands $65 Million Deal Days After Shareholders Approve New Bylaws (9 Mar 2026) · retrieved 2026-09-10
- European Spaceflight: Avio Delays SMILE Launch After Component Production Issue Identified (6 Apr 2026) · retrieved 2026-09-10
Data Accuracy Notice: Information about AVIO is compiled from publicly available sources including company websites, press releases, regulatory filings, and industry reports. Data is reviewed periodically but may not reflect the most recent developments.