Italy’s AVIO S.p.A has signed a €6 million agreement with Dnipro’s rocket design and production companies to produce 10 engines for European Space Agency’s Vega launch vehicle.

The agreement extends a partnership that commenced in 2004 and resulted in the delivery of 20 rocket engines. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said: “The expansion of participation in the European Vega program illustrates the reliability and competitiveness of engineering developments in the Ukrainian rocket and space industry.” From Dnipro, Oleksandr Prokopchuk, the Chief Designer of the Liquid Rocket Engines Design Bureau, said: “Cooperation with AVIO S.p.A. Is a clear example of the integration of the Ukrainian rocket and space industry into European space programs.”