ESA chooses technologies for future space transportation

During ESA’s Space Transportation Pitch week from 20–22 March technologies were chosen for further investigation under an ESA initiative called FIRST! – Future Innovation Research in Space Transportation.

This event was the second hosted by ESA’s future space transportation preparation programme (FLPP - Future Launchers Preparatory Programme) and follows its second campaign for FIRST! via ESA’s Open Space Innovation platform (OSIP). Pitching an idea through OSIP is a useful way to find out if an idea is interesting to ESA before writing a full proposal when ESA issues its open invitation to tender.

Technology providers and space transportation service providers presented their ideas, interests and needs in front of ESA delegates, investors and ESA experts.

Technology providers will submit full proposals on disruptive technologies for avionics and GNC (Guidance, Navigation and Control) when ESA publishes invitations to tender on its esa-star system. This is open to all potential bidders from Participating States which contribute to ESA’s Future Launchers Preparatory Programme and is planned for April 2024.

Through FIRST!, ESA intends to accelerate and derisk commercially attractive technologies through rapid prototyping and testing. This will stimulate and strengthen the growing commercial space economy in Europe. FIRST! is also an excellent example of ESA’s transformation described in Agenda 2025, to be bolder, more dynamic and quicker to interact with European start-ups and companies to help them to succeed.

Previous top-ranked proposals

Proposals to FIRST! are rated on their potential to cut costs, improve performance, environmental implications, commercial applications and the estimated time to market.

Successful companies in ESA’s previous tender process for FIRST! have already started to work with ESA on disruptive technologies for structures, materials and processes for future space transportation.

Airbus Netherlands, Rocket Factory Augsburg, ATG Italy and Occam Space talked about their proposals and experience with ESA.

Airbus Netherlands was selected for its Hyperjoint technology which joins a metallic bracket to a composite structure during the curing process. This eliminates unnecessary drilling and fastening operations to reduce the cost of product assembly and optimise mass.

Compared to metallic and bonded joints, Hyperjoints have the potential to be stronger, tougher and more robust.

“Since our proposal was accepted, the tendering process from the beginning until the contract signature has been fast and efficient. We can now start the project and enter our partnership with APWORKS, a technology provider of the Additive Manufacturing and Hyperjoint parts,” said Javad Fatemi, System Architect Launcher Structures and project manager at Airbus Netherlands.

Rocket Factory Augsburg, RFA, intends to use advanced stainless steel alloys in a new rocket tank design which delivers a high strength-to-weight ratio.

Validating the manufacturability of their large-scale stainless-steel tank also opens possibilities for production by more suppliers, resulting in increased availability and cost savings. It kicked off its FIRST! project in mid-February.

“Pitching an idea on ESA’s OSIP portal helps us to engage very efficiently with ESA early in the process. This is extremely helpful for us,” explained Ibrahim Ata, Head of Acquisition and Delivery at RFA in Germany.

In the past, RFA have greatly benefitted from the technical expertise of ESA’s FLPP team early on. ESA has been a great support and technical sparring partner,” he added.

ATG Italy will use its carbon-fibre-based multi-payload adapter to replace current metallic structures. Multi-payload adapters need to be sturdy and provide connections to multiple satellites, while withstanding the stresses of launch.

This new composite lattice technology could open the way for lighter multi-payload adapters to increase payload capacity and cut the costs of launch.

“This FIRST! award allows us to progress on our initial business idea to apply our composite lattice technology to multi-payload adaptor applications and develop it both technically and commercially. It will also give us the opportunity to assess and derisk a new design challenge for us on this application, namely the payload port interface to our lattice cylinder,” commented Kelly Matthews, Technical Program Leader at ATG-Europe.

“As part of FIRST!, ATG will develop a new partnership with a composites manufacturing specialist in Italy. There may also be some interesting possibilities to collaborate with other FIRST! participants.

“The ESA team have been extremely reactive and agile in ensuring the process proceeds as planned. Our hopes are that this is a sign of things to come in European space and that the industry can benefit from this more streamlined approach.” Kelly added.

AMIGO is a family of resettable, fast actuation, low shock and non-explosive actuators from Occam Space, a Spanish start-up company.

This affordable technology is smart and simple and offers fast actuation ranging from 500N to 200kN preload. These devices could be used in rocket stage separations and fairing release in a synchronised firing, and other types of separation in space.

“We can now focus all our efforts on accelerating our development with support from ESA and collaboration with new European launcher partners. This will enable us to best fit the market and become more competitive while continuing to satisfy the needs of our existing customers,” commented Manuel Serrano, CEO at OCCAM Space.

Further business opportunities

Future opportunities for funding of new technologies for ESA’s Future Launchers Preparatory Programme (FLPP) will be released on ESA’s Open Space Innovation platform.

In addition to FIRST!, there have been calls for proposals under other ESA FLPP initiatives such as: ‘In-space transportation proof of concepts’, BEST! for reusable boosters, and THRUST! for staged combustion engines.

“I am pleased to see the progress of ESA’s Future Launchers Preparatory Programme which is helping ESA to foster a new space logistics ecosystem for space transportation with a focus on commercialisation,” commented, Toni Tolker-Nielsen, ESA Director of Space Transportation.