Rideshare deal opens new path to space for European innovation

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Rideshare deal opens new path to space for European innovation
Enabling & Support

28/01/2025
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The best way to test new space technologies is to actually fly them in space. Today the European Space Agency signed on behalf of the European Commission a series of contracts with small satellite makers from across our continent to ensure rapid access to orbit through rideshare services for future European innovations.

Ekaterini Kavvada and Dietmar Pilz with representatives of the small satellite companies

The contract signing took place at the 17th European Space Conference in Brussels, Belgium, and is part of the In-Orbit Demonstration and Validation (IOD/IOV) programme managed by ESA on behalf of the European Commission. The contracts were awarded to Aerospacelab, Berlin Space Technologies, D-Orbit, ISISPACE, LuxSpace and Open Cosmos.

The IOD/IOV programme ensures that innovative technologies can be effectively tested in space, reducing the time it would otherwise take to bring them to market. By offering a boost for space tech innovators, the programme increases the competitiveness of the European space sector.

“In-orbit demonstration is a dynamic field, requiring flexibility and responsiveness to maximize its potential,” comments Dietmar Pilz, ESA’s Director of Technology, Engineering and Quality.

“To enhance the agility of the programme, ESA and the European Commission have decided to integrate rideshare opportunities, which offer experiments a secure and rapid path to orbit on commercial missions. This is a win-win: the experiment benefits from a quick service, while the mission owner can optimise their available capacity by accommodating additional payloads.”

Ekaterini Kavvada, Director of Secure and Connected Space at the European Commission, adds: “With the creation of this pool of European rideshare providers, we continue the paradigm shift in our procurement approach acting as anchor customers for industry, adopting a faster service-oriented approach and onboarding new players from six different EU countries.

Start of the 17th European Space Conference

“Enhancing the competitiveness of the European space sector is the major driver of our continuous support to innovation. IOD/IOV is the new space gateway open to the whole ecosystem.”

Through the IOD/IOV programme, ESA and the European Commission have already supported 10 satellites (e.g. UPMSat-2, ANSER), 2 proof-of-concepts (e.g. Vega SSMS) and over 30 technologies (e.g. star trackers, optical instruments and propulsion systems) under various frameworks.

Until now, ESA has been in charge of the ‘complete package’ for any IOD/IOV technology activities – including the provision of a dedicated spacecraft and its launch. To establish a faster and more efficient approach, the procurement of this service will be extended to selected rideshare providers, who will accommodate the chosen experiments on their existing missions.

The selected rideshare companies will now have the possibility to bid for the accommodation, launch and operation of IOD/IOV experiments on their commercial missions. The IOD/IOV experiments are selected on a regular basis through the open Call for Expression of Interest, with 15 March 2025 as the next cut-off date for the experiment selection.

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