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Spanish launch startup PLD Space is building its Miura 5 rocket.
The European Space Agency (ESA) said it has awarded an initial set of contracts to three European rocket startups to help them evolve their ability to provide Europe with greater launcher diversity.
Rocket Factory Augsburg, Isar Aerospace and PLD Space received the initial awards under the European Launcher Challenge, ESA said on Aug. 27, with talks still underway with ArianeGroup’s MaiaSpace. None of the rockets have made it to orbit, and ESA noted funding is contingent on the launch service providers achieving that milestone before the end of next year. The European Launcher Challenge is aimed at diversifying European launch options beyond the Ariane 6 and Vega-C rockets.
“This milestone kicks off the European Launcher Challenge, encouraging competition among European launch providers,” ESA Space Transportation Director Géraldine Naja said.
Rocket Factory Augsburg, which has yet to complete a launch of its RFA One, is set to receive €186.9 million ($218 million), ESA said, drawing mostly German backing. The UK is also contributing, with the German company planning to use the SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland.
OHB, a strategic backer of Rocket Factory Augsburg, said the money will run through mid-2029 to support work on the Blk. 2 configuration, ground infrastructure expansions and production scale-up.
“The European Launcher Challenge opens a new chapter in Europe's space ambitions and promotes competition in the launch sector,” OHB CEO Marco Fuchs said in a statement.
Spain’s PLD Space is set to receive €158.9 million for work on its Miura 5 rocket, largely backed by funding from Madrid, with Germany also contributing, said ESA.
PLD Space said the money will support the ramp-up of its pace of flights through the end of this decade and upgrade of its payload capacity. PLD Executive President Ezequiel Sánchez called the award “part of a disciplined execution path: from demonstrating our technology with Miura 1 to proving orbital capability with Miura 5, developing its upgraded orbital capacity to scale performance and advance reusability, and ultimately transferring those critical technologies to Miura Next.” Miura Next is the company’s heavy-lift rocket concept.
Isar Aerospace, which is getting ready for a second flight attempt with its Spectrum rocket from the Andoya Spaceport in Norway, is in line for €197.8 million in funding from Germany, with backing from Austria and Norway.
The company said it will use the funds to speed work on its next-generation rocket, expand test and launch infrastructure, among other activities.
MaiaSpace is the fourth participant in the European Launcher Challenge and it is targeting an inaugural orbit launch attempt in the second half of next year. ESA said contract talks with the company are nearing completion.
With the paperwork signed, ESA’s Space Transportation Strategy and Institutional Launches Head, Lucia Linares, said, “Now it is up to the challengers to prove they can deliver reliable launch services for Europe and compete.”
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