Home › Programmes and benchmarks
The public programmes and old-space rockets that Europe’s new launch companies are measured against. Checked 10 October 2026.
| Page | What it covers |
|---|---|
| European Launcher Challenge | ESA pays private rocket firms for launches once they reach orbit: who got what |
| Ariane 6 | Ordered in 2014 to fly in 2020, first flew in July 2024: promised vs cost vs delivered |
| Vega C and Avio | Ordered in 2014 to fly in 2018, first flew in July 2022: flights, failure and public money |
| Middle East launch and Europe | Who launches the Middle East’s satellites, and the European firms signed with Oman’s Etlaq |
Data
Public money per orbit reached sets public funding against rockets that reached orbit. On this day lists launch promises by date. The 2026 ranking scores the companies. New Space terminology explains the words we use. European launch dates: every promise and what happened follows 103 public first-launch dates for 11 European rockets, and European rockets compared draws 14 rockets to one scale with a data sheet.
The companies are in our launch companies overview, the launch sites in our spaceports overview, and each country in Countries.