P120C

Initially, production of the P120C was planned to be divided between Avio's main facility in Italy and MT Aerospace in Germany. However, in 2018, ESA decided to consolidate production entirely in Italy, with MT Aerospace focusing on Ariane 6's turbopumps.^[2]

The first successful test firing occurred at the Guiana Space Centre in July 2018, lasting 140 seconds and simulating a complete first-stage burn.^[3] Subsequent tests in 2019 and 2020 confirmed the motor's flight readiness for both launcher configurations.^[4][5]

The P120C builds upon the P80's design, utilizing a carbon fibre casing constructed via filament winding and fabric deposition techniques. It houses a 143.6 tonnes (317,000 lb) of HTPB 1912 propellant, a blend of 19% aluminium powder, 69% ammonium perchlorate with 12% of hydroxyl terminated polybutadiene binder.^[6] The motor's 25 centimetres (9.8 in) thick walls require a 3,500 kilometres (2,200 mi) of carbon fiber, wound over 33 days in a climate-controlled environment. When operational, the P120C generates an average thrust of 4.5 meganewtons (1,000,000 lb_f).^[7]

In 2022, development began on the P120C+ variant, which would evolve into the P160C. This extended version adds 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) to the motor's length and an additional 14 tonnes (14 long tons; 15 short tons) of propellant.^[8] This upgrade translates to a roughly 2 tonnes (4,400 lb) improvement in lift performance on the Ariane 64 with four boosters.^[9] Notably, 16 of the planned 18 Amazon Leo launches by Ariane 6 will utilize this enhanced booster.^[9]

• P80 (rocket stage)
• Zefiro (rocket stage)
• Solid rocket
• Vega (rocket)