"Upper stage tank issue causes delay in final Vega launch"
The European Space Agency (ESA) has postponed the final launch of the original version of the Vega rocket due to a problem with the rocket's upper stage. The launch, originally scheduled for spring 2024, has been delayed to September because two tanks for the Avum upper stage went missing from an Italian factory and were later found crushed and unusable in a landfill. ESA and Avio are considering using tanks from the larger Avum+ stage for the Vega C rocket as a workaround solution. The final Vega mission will now launch the Sentinel-2C Earth science spacecraft instead of the Biomass satellite. Additionally, there was an abort during a recent test of the upper stage of the Ariane 6 rocket, but it does not affect the schedule for the first Ariane 6 launch.