The ESA has signalled its intent to foster commercial competition to deliver space cargo return services, following the ESA Space Summit in Seville.

ESA seeks space cargo competition by 2028

At the gathering, the idea for competition was announced – open to “innovative companies based in Europe” – for a space cargo service. It will see a European commercial provider both deliver supplies to the International Space Station by 2028 and return cargo to Earth.

The service vehicle could evolve to a crew vehicle and eventually serve other destinations, if Member States so desire, says the agency.

Communication #52–2023 – Ministers back Europe’s sustainable and competitive space ambitions – outlines decisions taken in Seville.

Three general aims were outlined at the summit. Europe will, it says, “harness space for a greener future”, take “decisive steps in exploration”, and “ensure autonomous access to space while preparing a paradigm shift towards a more competitive next generation of launchers”.

Market
On cargo competitiveness, specifically, ESA writes:

“The Ariane 6 and Vega-C launchers will soon guarantee European access to space, but the launcher market paradigm has changed radically. Europe must maintain the technical and industrial capacity for uninterrupted access to space.”

“Ministers have launched a new competitive European ambition in space transportation to empower Europe to regain its commercial position, reduce the need for public funding and retain its place in the world by making ESA an anchor customer and enabler of commercial space activities and services.”

Public funding for the initial stages of the project has already been secured, highlighted the agency, with private contributions being sought through the competition.

“Member States have enabled the first steps towards innovative and competitive approaches that will revolutionise how Europe secures its future access to space as well as its role in exploration,” said Anna Christmann, Federal Government Coordinator of German Aerospace Policy.

“A strong agency will also help to better use space to deal with climate change, benefiting everyone on Earth. I look forward to continuing along this promising path when the Member States meet for the ESA Council meeting at the Ministerial level in Germany in 2025.”

ATV to ESM
You can read the original ESA announcement here. And you can read more about the historical context here, where The Register covers Europe’s Automated Transfer Vehicle at the start of the century and its relation to the European Service Module (ESM) which is a contribution to NASA’s Orion spacecraft (to send astronauts to the Moon and beyond).

The module will provide electricity, water, oxygen and nitrogen as well as keeping the spacecraft at the right temperature and on course.

NASA has already selected SpaceX as the first commercial provider to deliver cargo, experiments and other supplies to the agency’s Gateway in lunar orbit.