Cargo up, and cargo down

Companies should come with solutions to send a minimum of two tonnes of pressurised cargo to the International Space Station by the end of 2028 on a demonstration mission and return to Earth with at least one tonne of cargo. Returning cargo to Earth benefits scientific research by returning samples back to the community.

“By launching this call, we are providing the supporting scheme, whereby private companies receive support from ESA to develop services to the International Space Station and future commercial destinations orbiting Earth,” explains Frank De Winne.

Companies will retain full project authority and full responsibility. ESA’s support is meant to be only a fraction of the funding necessary to complete the development of the cargo delivery system and launch the demonstration flight.

ESA and the selected companies will jointly agree on milestones with a mix of technical and financial success criteria. Follow this link for further details and guidelines on how to submit proposals.

A webinar on 15 June at 10:00 CEST (09:00 GMT) will be held to answer questions.