The European Space Agency (ESA) announced, on Thursday 27 August, the signing of the first contracts under the ‘European Launcher Challenge’ programme with launch service providers. This ‘challenge’ is an ESA initiative aimed at developing the European launch services offering and strengthening Europe’s access to space. The contracts signed enable the candidates to secure and unlock funding as key milestones are achieved.
The candidates are Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA), a company based in Germany that is developing its three-stage RFA One launcher; the Spanish company PLD Space, with the Miura 5 launcher; and the German company Isar Aerospace, which is developing its Spectrum launcher (see EUROPE 13675/27).
The procedure for awarding the contract to MaiaSpace is nearing completion and should resume in the coming weeks, ESA said in its press release.
The contract with RFA amounts to €186.9 million and is financed mainly by Germany, with a contribution from the United Kingdom; the one with PLD Space amounts to €158.9 million, financed mainly by Spain, with a contribution from Germany; and the contract with Isar Aerospace amounts to €197.8 million, financed mainly by Germany, with contributions from Austria and Norway.
These contracts conclude the second phase of the programme, during which the preselected companies were able to submit their proposals before April 2026. These proposals were assessed by an ESA tender evaluation board, according to criteria such as economic viability, engineering quality, resources, timetable and compliance. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)