The European Space Agency has discontinued a competition to support the development of new launch vehicles and promote Europe’s access to Space.
The agency released a call for the proposals of European Launcher Challenge (ELC) on Monday, 24 March. Companies will have available to each selected launcher with 169 million euros ($ 183 million) for just six weeks to submit their proposals.
ESA and Europe are currently served by the Ariane 6 and Vega Rockets, but the agency is launching for competition from new companies in response to the global trend of new and reusable commercial launch vehicles, which is cutting the cost of launch.
“The European Launcher Challenge is a two-step competitive tender to select several European launch services,” the ESA said. statement Declaration of challenge. ELC is open to companies located in ESA or European Union member states.
The component is for the launch services for ESA and other European institutional customers from A2026 to 2030, while the component B calls for “launch service capacity upgrading”, which will require the upgraded launchers to fly by 2028. Companies have to submit proposals covering both components.
Europe already has a variety of emerging launch vehicles that are working towards their first orbital launch and are already well deployed to enter the competition.
In January, many companies – Rocket Factory Ougsburg, Latitude, Hympulus, Massapace, Orbax and Exploration Company – Published an open letter for ESA Before finalizing the details of ELC. The letter asked for sufficient money and access to launch at European Spaceport in French Guana, South America.
Other European launch companies in the mixture include Spain’s PLD Space, Skirora from the United Kingdom and Isar Aerospace of Germany, whose first spectrum rocket currently sits on a pad at Endow Spaceport in Norway, with a planned effort on March 28.
Europe is ready to look at its demand for launch services to grow. The head of the unit in charge of the space policy in the European Commission, Gilloom de la Boss, said in November that the European Union would launch more satellites due to IRIS EL (infrastructure for satellite flexibility, interrelation and security framework).
