The first contract concerns the supply by Avio to Arianespace of 10 VEGA C launchers in the period 2023-2024, with an option for another 4 launchers. The VEGA C carriers will be used for institutional launches of the EU Commission's 'Copernicus' program and for other needs of the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. On the same occasion, Ariangroup and Europropulsion (an equal joint venture between Avio and Arianegroup) signed a production contract for the supply by Avio of 34 P120 engines for the Ariane 6 carriers over the next two years (contract value ranging between 200 and 400 million). The signing of the two contracts further strengthens the excellent collaboration between France and Italy in the launcher sector which allows Europe to have autonomous access to space, underlined Giorgetti and Le Maire. They also strengthen bilateral cooperation in the most advanced research with important repercussions on the employment front, both in Italy and in France.
