European Launcher Challenge launch service providers initial capacity

The European Launcher Challenge is the European Space Agency’s (ESA) initiative focused on expanding European launch service supply and therefore ensuring greater robustness in Europe’s access to space. Through the European Launcher Challenge, ESA will become a customer of newly developed commercial launch services, encouraging competition in the European space sector.

As a first step, the European Launcher Challenge requires the selected launch service providers to successfully achieve an orbital launch no later than 2027. This is a critical milestone for the Challengers, demonstrating what the new services can deliver.

The European Launcher Challenge invited all European launch service providers to participate as long as the launch vehicles are built in ESA or EU member states and launched from European territory, four challengers have now moved forward following the completion of the first stage of the ESA invitation to tender for the European Launcher Challenge.