Avio bags €40M ESA contract for reusable rocket stage, but don't hold your breath
- Reference: 1759398921
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/10/02/esa_avio_upper_stage/
- Source link:
The [1]24-month contract covers the requirements, design, and enabling technologies necessary to develop a demonstrator capable of returning to Earth and being reused in future missions.
ESA told The Register that the component, dubbed the reusable upper stage demonstration, would be "integrated as an additional stage on top of a P160C solid rocket motor, on a future Vega configuration."
[2]
The P160C was built as the first stage of the Vega C+ rocket and will eventually be used on the Ariane 6 rocket to boost payload capacity. It is also planned to be used as the first stage of the Vega E launcher. Currently, the P120C solid-fuel motor is used by the Vega C and Ariane 6 launch vehicles.
[3]
[4]
Even though the P160C is unlikely to be used until 2027, two years is not long to come up with a design for a reusable upper stage. Today's Vega C uses a P120C solid rocket motor as its first stage and a Zefiro 40 for its second. If ESA's comment remains correct during the development process, the reusable upper stage, which currently resembles a shrunken version of SpaceX's Starship, would replace the Zefiro.
[5]
Render of Avio and ESA reusable upper stage concept (pic: Avio)
SpaceX looms large over legacy rockets. The Falcon 9 has proven the benefits of reusability, although only the first stage of the rocket can be reused. The Vega C and Ariane 6 rockets are expendable, though ESA is working toward first-stage reusability with the [6]Themis project . Reusability is critical if a launcher is to be commercially viable, and SpaceX demonstrated a successful booster landing as part of a commercial mission in 2015.
[7]Engineers successfully reboost International Space Station after early Dragon abort
[8]NASA administrator says US should have 'village' on Moon in a decade
[9]SpaceX Dragon huffs, puffs... and fizzles out as NASA aborts ISS boost
[10]Humanity now has zero active robots at Venus as Japan ends 15-year 'Dawn' mission
Reuse of an upper stage, which will be an order of magnitude more complicated, has yet to be demonstrated, although there is a good chance that SpaceX will catch a returning Starship upper stage sometime next year or the year after.
Several within the space community expressed skepticism regarding the initiative, with one insider telling The Register that politics and posturing were likely also at work.
ESA told The Register that it is too early to determine what the payload/performance impact will be when the system is declared operational.
[11]
"Several system concepts are currently being explored," the agency said. "These could include dedicated reusable lower stages either aligned with ongoing activities in Europe or newly designed for this purpose." ®
Get our [12]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.avio.com/press-release/avio-signs-eu40-million-contract-european-space-agency-development-reusable-upper
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aN6hmslzJulPSHxHo-91mwAAAIs&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aN6hmslzJulPSHxHo-91mwAAAIs&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aN6hmslzJulPSHxHo-91mwAAAIs&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://regmedia.co.uk/2025/10/02/avio_reusable.jpg
[6] https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Transportation/Themis
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/29/international_space_station_successfully_reboosted/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/29/nasa_moon_prediction_iac_2025/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/26/iss_reboost_attempt_aborted/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/19/jaxa_dawn_akatsuki_venus_mission_ends/
[11] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aN6hmslzJulPSHxHo-91mwAAAIs&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[12] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Not enough budget for this project and not enough time.
You only have to look at what their competitors have spent and their actual versus projected timelines to see that this project is beyond optimistic; even for Italians...
Wording
> significant step forward [...] toward full reusability
"A step forward" does not mean doing the thing. The meaning of "significant" is wholly subjective.
> aims to define the requirements, system design and enabling technologies
"Defining requirements" is not construction.
"System design" is not construction.
"Enabling technologies" could mean anything.
> The activities will cover both the flight and ground segments and will culminate in the definition of an integrated preliminary system design.
"Cover" could mean anything, including merely "discuss".
"Definition of a preliminary design" is not construction. If that's what the work will "culminate in", it doesn't sound like the work is involving anything material.
> Avio will contribute its extensive technical and industrial expertise [...] as well as the knowledge [...]
Expertise and knowledge are not construction.
I could go on, but I think you get it? This is entirely brain work. I doubt that anyone is even tightening a screw as part of this contract. Those 40m are ultimately buying maybe some skills, consensus between different actors on some important things, and a big document.
I'm not saying it's a waste of money; brain work is important. Just, let's keep things in perspective.
Why the f--- are they doing the HARD part first?
As the article mentions, not even SpaceX has been able to do this.
The first problem with recovering an upper stage is all the energy that the rocket put in on the way up has to come back out -- with zero fuel to do so. The second problem is the best shape to do that is the worst shape for an upper stage.
This is like inventing TV with the requirement that it be HD, or designing the Model T with the requirement that it go 100mph and be self driving. That's not going to happen no matter how much you wish and click your heels.
small reusable upper stage?
Interesting. Wouldn't a smaller (than starship) upper stage have to deal with more heating?
I thought there was an advantage for big blunt objects re-entering the atmosphere?
Also, how small can you make an upper stage that has to carry control surfaces, thermal protection and either a dash of fuel for landing or big parachutes and airbags?