Ahead of the launch of Vega flight VV02, the second stage Zefiro 23 engine is installed in the launcher assembly building at Europe’s Spaceport, Kourou, French Guiana.
The Zefiro 23 is derived from a 16-tonne solid rocket motor development (Zefiro 16) initiated by Fiat-Avio, now Avio S.p.A., with company funding and contracted by the Italian space agency ASI.