The Case of the Missing Vega AVUM Propellant Tanks

Turns out two of the propellant tanks for the fourth stage of the final Vega launch vehicle – a European launcher that first flew in 2012, designed for small payloads – went missing. That’s kinda inexcusable and inexplicable. But at least they found them. That’s good, right? Well…

They had been crushed and were found alongside metal scraps in a landfill.

Whoopsie.

Even better: as this is the *last* flight of a Vega, the production lines are long since shut down. So in order to pull off the planned 2024 launch, either tanks from pre-2012 ground tests will be scrounged – assuming they’re still in good enough shape – or a whole different unqualified-for-Vega upper stage will be used.

Maybe just fly on a Falcon.