The European Space Agency (ESA) at a summit in Seville on Monday, the 7th of November, the ESA member states endorsed the idea of launching a competition to develop a robotic cargo capsule that would carry cargo to and from the International Space Station (ISS), with a first mission planned for 2028, reports the BBC.
This initiative differs from the traditional approach of ESA projects. The winning company will receive support from ESA, develop a cargo capsule, and operate it commercially through a contracted service model. The winner will have to part-finance the development and then “sell” the “service” to ESA, which will become the “anchor customer”.
If the cargo capsule initiative proves successful, according to ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher, the responsible company will have to design the capsule in such a way that it can be developed in the future, for example as a crew vehicle or
even to carry ESA astronauts to destinations such as the Moon.
The Director General added that a “tiger” team is being set up within the agency, with an initial budget of 75 million euros to launch the competition.
According to BBC, ESA is using a competitive procurement model based on NASA’s successful approach. NASA has moved away from its own spacecraft to working with private companies through fixed-price contracts and milestone payments, thus providing transport to and from the ISS and for various scientific missions. ESA aims to use this model to promote faster, more innovative, and cost-effective space transportation technologies.
There are already potential capsule candidates in Europe. Start-ups such as The Exploration Company and Rocket Factory Augsburg have concepts that they could submit to the competition.
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