Boost! frequently asked questions

About the Programme

• What is Boost!?
• How does the programme work?
• What is a service-level approach and a service proposal?
• Which ESA Member States participate to the Boost! programme?

Boost! Element 1 - Tendering approach

• How does the submission process work?
• Against which eligibility criteria are outline service proposals evaluated by ESA? 
• Which kind of activities could be co-funded through the Commercial Space Transportation Services Element?
• What are the co-funding rules?
• Does the support from the programme have to cover the whole scope of activities necessary to deploy the service?
• Is a separate Notification of Support from Participating States required for every subcontractor?
• Can the consortium include subcontractors from ESA Member States not participating to the Boost! programme, or even from states that are not ESA members?
• Is there a deadline for the submission of the Outline Service Proposal, or the Full Service Proposal?
• Who can help with completing the PSS forms?

Contractual aspects

• Who owns the service project results? 
• What rules apply to the ownership of hardware?

About Boost!

What is Boost! – ESA’s Commercial Space Transportation Services and Support to Member States Programme?

Boost! – ESA’s Commercial Space Transportation Services and Support to Member States Programme is managed by the Directorate of Space Transportation. The programme provides a flexible programmatic framework to stimulate, encourage, and support the development, deployment, and use of new European commercial space transportation services under private leadership and responsibility.

The programme consists of three elements, each with its own objective:

- Boost! 1, Commercial Space Transportation Services Element: to provide support that is flexible and tailored to the needs of European economic operators pursuing privately-led developments for commercially viable new space transportation services.

- Boost! 2, Support to Participating States Element: in meeting the demand of ESA Member States to provide them with assistance in the implementation of national space transportation objectives in the field of spaceports infrastructure and related services.

- Boost! 3, Space Transportation Services Procurement Element: co-funding European launch services on a competitive basis for the purpose of demonstrating and qualifying in orbit technologies or sub-systems on-board of ready-to-fly IOD/IOV satellite(s).

This FAQ only covers Boost! 1

How does Boost! 1 work?

Under Boost! 1, ESA supports economic operators to develop and deploy new commercial space transportation services. Economic operators are invited to submit service proposals for Boost! support and co-funding in response to ESA’s call for proposals, accessible by following this link to esa-star Publication. The first step in the process is to submit an Outline Service Proposal through the Boost! 1 Channel on ESA’s Open Space Innovation Platform (OSIP), accessible on this link.

Note that access to the full tendering information you must first register with ESA in esa-star; find out how to gain that access here. Co-funding through Boost! 1 might be decided following a positive evaluation of the service proposals and an endorsement from Participating States by a written Notification of Support.

What is a service-level approach and a service proposal?

Boost! 1 supports the development and deployment of new services, or service improvements, at a certain level of technical and financial readiness. Such proposed new space transportation services shall be targeting the transport of objects to space; in space; returning from space, or any combination of these. Services addressing the development of novel and independent stand-alone ground-based and in-flight services provided to commercial space transportation service provider(s) and spaceport operator(s) as end customers can also be supported. Note that space transportation services limited to active debris removal are not included in this programme and should be addressed to ESA’s Space Safety Programme. Services shall be understood as covering all relevant aspects needed for offering them to end customers and without requiring the customers to procure any additional essential service elements. 

Throughout the tendering process, ESA will request economic operators to demonstrate in their proposals that all relevant aspects needed to supply the full service are addressed and covered. Such service elements include, for example: space segment, ground segment, operations, marketing, etc.

 

Which ESA Member States participate in the programme?

Element 1 is currently supported by: Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Tendering approach

How does the submission process work?

Log in to esa-star Publication and search for 4-40003. The documents associated with the Call for Proposals contain all the relevant information.

The first step is to prepare an outline service proposal (approximately 30 pages) which shall be submitted through the Boost! 1 Channel on OSIP. A template for the Outline Service Proposal is found on the Idea Submission page. It is advisable to contact your ESA national delegation early in the process in order to check on the national support as well as relevant national processes and policies.  

ESA will evaluate the Outline Service Proposal. In the case of a positive evaluation, ESA will issue an invitation to submit a the Full Service Proposal (approximately 75-150 pages depending on the requested co-funding level). The Full Service Proposal shall be accompanied with a notification of support from the relevant Participating State(s).

 

Against which eligibility criteria are outline service proposals evaluated by ESA?

ESA will evaluate the eligibility of the outline service proposal for Boost! support as follows:

1. Compliance with the Entry Requirements and funding principles 
2. Business opportunity and demonstrated commercial viability and sustainability of the service proposal; 
3. Technical and financial adequacy of the Service Development and Deployment Plan up to commercial service demonstration; 
4. European content of the service proposal; 
5. Quality and suitability of the proposed programme of work;
6. Financial proposal and contribution by the economic operator and its consortium. 

 In addition, outline service proposals should be compliant with available resources at ESA.

 

Which kind of activities could be co-funded through Boost! 1?

When submitting service proposals, Tenderers may seek ESABoost! 1 co-funding on one or more of the following:   

Design, development, technology maturation, testing, including qualification through e.g. flight demonstration for new commercial services.  

• Technology development and maturation forming an integral part of the service proposed   

• System and sub-system developments, qualification and associated testing   
• First service items or proof of concept hardware deployment  
• Processes and procedures development and qualification  
• Software development and qualification  

Service and product improvement, processes optimisation for manufacturing, logistics, operations, workflows etc for existing commercial services.  

• Service and product improvement  
• Production means, test facilities, jigs and tools, mechanical and electrical ground support, however, excluding civil works  
• Processes, procedures, and workflow optimisation  

In addition, Economic operators may request assistance from ESA, using technical or business expertise available across ESA Directorates, and access to public facilities (e.g. R&D laboratories, test facilities and benches) and resources. Such support activities should be initiated by the Economic operator and require dedicated agreements, to which the co-funding principles apply.

Please note that the following activities are not eligible for co-funding:

• Civil works, even if required for facilities in support of the service proposed (e.g. civil works required for test and launch site infrastructures)
• Investments into property and real estate
• Investments into general- or multi-purpose infrastructure (e.g. general logistics networks, acquisition of air/ground/sea-based vehicles or vessels in support of recovery activities; deployment, adaptation or refurbishment of ground infrastructure like roads, runways, ports, etc.) 
• Maintenance of facilities and ground installations

 

What are the co-funding rules?

Boost! 1 is a co-funded programme element. The maximum level of funding available from ESA is based on the following principles:  

ESA will co-fund eligible activities up to the maximum percentage indicated (see table below) and the remainder has to be funded by the Tenderer and its Sub Contractors, in cash or in kind, and shall not include any additional co-funding from the public sector. 

Note that these thresholds apply to the overall service proposal, and relate to funding received from public entities at large. Available funding from other public entities may lead to a reduction of the co-funding contributed by ESA.

 

Does the support from the programme have to cover the whole scope of activities necessary to deploy the service?

No. The request for support from Boost! 1 may cover only parts of the overall work necessary to deploy the service. 

In addition, note that some necessary activities might not be eligible for co-funding for reasons such as the nature of the activities or their geographic allocation.

 

Is a separate Notification of Support from Participating States required for every subcontractor?

No, not necessarily. The Notification of Support from one Participating State could cover all relevant work carried out in that Participating State, even if several partners from the consortium are involved. One the other side, separate Notification(s) of Support are needed in case the subcontractor(s) is from another participating state than the prime.  

 

Can the consortium include subcontractors from ESA Member States not participating to the Boost! programme, or even from states that are not ESA members?

Yes. The economic operator may choose to associate subcontractors to the service proposal that are from ESA Member States not participating to the Boost! programme, or even from non-ESA Member States. Such subcontractors shall be listed in the service development and deployment plan. However, it is to be noted as a general rule that activities of these subcontractors cannot be part of the activities requesting co-funding from the Boost! programme, unless specifically supported by a programme participating State.

 

Is there a deadline for the submission of the Outline Service Proposal, or the Full Service Proposal?

Boost! 1 is currently set to cover activities from Q1 2023 onwards. Outline Service Proposals for requesting support during can be submitted at any time until end-2025. ESA performs the evaluation of the Outline Service Proposals in batches, approximately every six weeks (the dates are published on OSIP). In the case of a positive evaluation, the economic operator will be invited to submit a Full Service Proposal. ESA requires the Full Service Proposal within a deadline of eight weeks. It will undergo a formal tender evaluation process and all the procedures that lead to a possible contract.

 

Who can help with completing the PSS forms?

ESA Procedures, Specifications and Standards (PSS) forms are available on esa-star. Each PSS form includes a sheet of "Instructions" that the company shall carefully read. 

A central email address is also available for clarifications regarding the PSS forms and their instructions: pss@esa.int

Contractual aspects

Who owns the service project results?

The project partner owns the intellectual property rights (IPR) arising from developments in these contracts. However, free licences may be granted for the benefit of ESA.

 

What rules apply to the ownership of hardware?

The ownership of any hardware or tangible assets developed, produced or procured under this contract shall be vested with the contractor. Exceptions may be agreed upon between ESA and the Economic operator at the time of signing the contract.