ESA Extended Reality Competence Centre
The European Space Agency (ESA) recognises the potential of Extended Reality (XR) as a key enabling technology for future space applications. To explore possibilities and foster collaboration across the field, the agency established the Extended Reality Competence Centre (XR-CC).
What is Extended Reality?
Extended Reality (XR) is a group of technologies that includes Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR). These technologies fully immerse their users in virtual environments or seamlessly blend digital elements with the real world, opening new possibilities for space exploration, astronaut training, engineering, and public engagement.
What is the role of ESA’s XR-CC?
Established in 2026, the XR-CC is ESA’s focal point for XR, facilitating knowledge transfer, fostering cross-collaboration, generating strategic outcomes, and streamlining development across ESA Member States.
The centre coordinates with space agencies worldwide, organizes the ESA XR Conference, engages schools and universities through the ESA XR Education initiative, updates the ESA XR Strategy, and leads the ESA XR Partners group to connect the community, foster collaboration, and promote knowledge exchange.
What tools does it offer?
The XR-CC has released the ESA XR Plugin, a modular framework built with Unreal Engine and OpenXR that streamlines development, reduces redundancy, and accelerates XR solutions for space applications.
The plugin lets users explore fully immersive or mixed-reality environments with realistic physics, multiplayer collaboration, dynamic gravity, customizable avatars, interactive procedures, or an AI assistant, among other modular features.
You are invited to join the ESA XR Plugin community by creating your own components while retaining full intellectual property and commercialisation rights.
How do I find out more?
For updates on the centre’s activities, visit XR at ESA or email xr@esa.int.