ESA: Five companies competing for the future of European launchers

The European Space Agency has announced the five companies selected to continue the European Launcher Challenge , the two-phase competitive tender aimed at supporting the development of new European launchers and strengthening the competitiveness of the European space sector .

The five selected companies are Isar Aerospace (Germany), Maiaspace (France), Orbital Express Launch - Orbex (UK), Payload Aerospace (Spain), and Rocket Factory Augsburg (Germany) . The companies' proposals were evaluated based on criteria such as technical maturity , business maturity and sustainability , the institutional market they intend to serve, and compliance with procurement regulations.

Once this first phase has been completed, ESA will initiate a dialogue with the selected companies and interested Member States to consolidate the European Launcher Challenge programme proposal and the related legal documentation in terms of funding, related content, and/or project phasing, with the expected signatures at the 2025 Ministerial Conference (i.e., when Member States will commit to funding).

The second phase of the competition will follow , followed by the signing of contracts for the European Launcher Challenge. The program envisages contracts worth up to €169 million for each company , which will finance launch services for ESA between 2026 and 2030 and the expansion of launch service capacity, including at least one flight demonstration.