N° 27–2024: ESA boosts commerce and delivers sustainability in space

The French-German space company Exploration Company and the French-Italian company Thales Alenia Space have won contracts to develop cargo return services for low Earth orbit. The service vehicles are due to deliver supplies to the International Space Station by 2030 and could be used for any future space stations, or potentially modified to send crew into space. The decision comes just six months after ESA launched a competition to boost the commercialisation of space at an ESA Council at the Ministerial level held in Seville in 2023. The result demonstrates how ESA is helping to strengthen, diversify and expand the European space industry, increasing the competitiveness of Europe.

Furthermore, 12 nations have signed the Zero Debris Charter – a world-leading effort to become debris neutral in space by 2030 that was also announced at the Seville meeting. It is the first time that countries have subscribed at the national level, boosting Europe as a leader in clean space while demonstrating international acceptance of the charter. Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden and the UK have all pledged to adhere to the charter.

More than 100 organisations have promised that they will also sign up to the space-community-led endeavour in the coming months. In addition to 12 countries, also the European Space Agency signed the Zero Debris Charter as an an International Organisation (IGO).

Space sustainability will be further enhanced by the ESA’s new Vigil mission that will protect vital infrastructure on Earth and in space by providing early warnings of incoming solar storms. Since the Seville meeting, ESA has signed a contract with Airbus UK to build the spacecraft, which is due for launch in 2031. By watching the Sun from its vantage point far from Earth, the spacecraft will spot any potentially hazardous solar activity before it can be seen from the ground – and relay this information to Earth in close-to-real time. Giving advance warning of incoming solar storms buys more time to protect vital terrestrial power grids as well as spacecraft in orbit, on which all modern societies and economies depend.

Josef Aschbacher, Director General of ESA, said: “Today ESA has further proven its leadership in space for Europe and European citizens. The signature of the low Earth orbit cargo return service contracts shows how ESA has modernised to meet the demands of the next era of the space economy. The signature of the Zero Debris Charter by ten European nations demonstrates that ESA is at the global forefront of creating concrete, useful and attractive norms for space sustainability, which will constitute the basis for European or even global regulations and legislation. Meanwhile the Vigil mission will further contribute to sustainability in space.”

Further information 

More information about ESA: www.esa.int 

ESA signs contracts for commercial space cargo return service 

First countries sign the Zero Debris Charter

Airbus to build ESAs Vigil space weather forecasting mission

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About the European Space Agency 

The European Space Agency (ESA) provides Europe’s gateway to space. 

ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world 

ESA has 22 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia are Associate Members. 

ESA has established formal cooperation with four Member States of the EU. Canada takes part in some ESA programmes under a Cooperation Agreement. 

By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country. It is working in particular with the EU on implementing the Galileo and Copernicus programmes as well as with Eumetsat for the development of meteorological missions. 

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