Innovative Cargo Vehicle for Space - The Exploration Company and Thales Alenia Space Receive ESA Contracts

In a significant move for the European space industry, ESA announced the development of a promising new space transport vehicle. The German innovators from The Exploration Company and the experts from the Italian aerospace company Thales Alenia Space have won the contract for this ambitious project. Both companies are tasked with designing spacecraft that will transport cargo to the International Space Station ISS and safely return to Earth by 2028, as announced by ESA at a summit in Brussels. These spacecraft could potentially serve not just the ISS, but other space stations as well or could be adapted for manned spaceflight in the future. For the realization of this forward-looking vision, the development budgets are set at an impressive 25 million euros each. Last autumn, ESA took the initiative and invited European companies to compete in the bid for this defining space project. The selection was eventually made from a pool of seven applicants, including both established industry giants and young startups, settling on the two candidates mentioned. While NASA has been relying on the abilities of SpaceX and Northrop Grumman for some time now to transport supplies to the ISS, ESA is now aiming to catch up with a European counterpart. The focus is on independently deploying their own cargo modules in the future, which could also enhance trade relations concerning the transport of European astronauts into space. In parallel with these developments, Germany and eleven other ESA member countries at the Brussels summit are committed to the responsibility of avoiding space debris. By signing a corresponding charter, they pledge to significantly reduce the emergence of new residues in orbit and make the cosmic environment of Earth and the Moon much cleaner by 2030.