Solid propulsion is a well-established technology that uses fuel and oxidizer already mixed in solid form inside the motor. This type of system is known for its simplicity, robustness, and ability to deliver powerful thrust in a very short time. Thanks to its reliability and ease of storage and handling, solid propulsion is particularly well-suited for the initial phases of launch, where strong acceleration is required quickly.

The P120C is a solid rocket motor developed by Avio in collaboration with Ariane Group, based on the first stage of the Vega launcher (P80). It is made from carbon-epoxy composite materials using advanced manufacturing techniques like filament winding and automated fabric deposition. The motor contains about 141 tons of solid propellant and is currently the largest monolithic solid rocket motor in the world. The “C” in P120C stands for “Common,” as it is used both as the first stage of the Vega C launcher and as a booster for the Ariane 6 launcher (in versions A62 and A64, with 2 and 4 boosters respectively).

In the frame of VEGA and Ariane 6 Launcher Vehicles evolution, the upgrading of P120C into P160C has been proposed, consisting in 1 meter length increasing and about 15 tons of propellant overloading, with consequent SRM performance improvement.

P160C SRM is at present under development and qualification phase. Its qualification was achieved by means of P160C QM3 (qualification Model) Static Firing Test in French Guyana, in April 2025.

P160C SRM will be used as

• first Stage in VEGA-C Block 2 and VEGA-E Launcher Vehicles,
• as Booster on next generation of Ariane 6 Launcher Vehicle (Ariane 6 Block 2) in both versions A62 and A64 (respectively, with 2 and 4 P120C as boosters); Ariane 6 Block 2 will be used also for Kuiper Constellation Project.