Marino Fragnito is Chief Commercial Officer and Launch Services Director at Avio, the Italian company behind the Vega C rocket. In this Astro Ben Podcast interview, host Ben Gamble talks with him about how Europe is building up its launch capability in a fast-changing space industry.
Appointed to the role in September 2024, Marino oversees the Vega C and Ariane 6 programs. He looks back over a career that has taken him through Airbus, Arianespace and Thales Alenia Space, and explains how Vega was commercialized, how global competition is shaping launch services, and where sustainable propulsion and defense applications fit in.
If you want to understand the business of launch in Europe, from commercial strategy to the rockets themselves, this conversation is a good place to start. For more launch and space-sector interviews, hear Dan Hart on Virgin Orbit and launch setbacks or John Abbott on the UK space sector, or browse the full Astro Ben Podcast archive.
What you will hear
Marino's career across Airbus, Arianespace and Thales Alenia Space
How Vega was commercialized and what Avio does with Vega C and Ariane 6
Boosting Europe's launch capabilities and the view on global competition
Sustainable propulsion and defense applications
Guest links
Avio: Website, LinkedIn, X, Instagram, YouTube
Listen
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