European Spaceflight

ESA plans to purchase a dedicated SpaceX Crew Dragon mission to the ISS, offering its new class of astronauts a flight opportunity before the station is retired. europeanspaceflight.com/esa-to-purchas…

ESA has awarded OHB a €248 million contract to build 20 satellites for EUMETSAT’s EPS-Sterna Arctic weather monitoring constellation. europeanspaceflight.com/esa-awards-ohb…

ESA plans to offer a €50 million incentive to launch the demonstration missions for its LEO Cargo Return Services initiative aboard European rockets. europeanspaceflight.com/esa-to-incenti…

Unfavorable weather conditions have pushed the launch date of the next Isar Aerospace Spectrum flight to no earlier than 23 March. Image credit: Isar Aerospace

Sirius Space Services has acquired AMM-42 to bolster its in-house manufacturing as it prepares for the launch of its Sirius 1B demonstrator in 2027. europeanspaceflight.com/sirius-space-s…

The European Defence Agency has awarded a €15.65 million contract to a consortium led by Sener to design a military satellite optimised for very low Earth orbit. europeanspaceflight.com/european-defen…

Andøya Space succesfully launched its ICI-5b two-stage sounding rocket on 11 March from its suborbital launch facility in Norway. While the company stated that the rocket had been "built by Andøya Space", it added that the two rocket motors used were "off‑the‑shelf units delivered by NASA." Video credit: Andøya Space

Tokyo-headquartered Astroscale has selected Isar Aerospace to launch its ELSA-M orbital debris removal demonstrator no earlier than 2028. europeanspaceflight.com/isar-aerospace…

Thales Alenia Space has selected US-based Astrobotic to develop wheels for the Italian Space Agency's mobile lunar habitat. europeanspaceflight.com/thales-alenia-…

Cyprus has become the first country to make use of the EU’s GOVSATCOM secure satellite communications service. europeanspaceflight.com/cyprus-first-t…

ESA has issued a call for European SMEs to design a spaceplane-based launch system that incorporates novel propulsion technologies. europeanspaceflight.com/esa-calls-on-e…

AndroMach put its camera a little too close to the business end of its BANGER engine during a recent hot-fire test. Video credit: AndroMach

Avio has been awarded a $65 million contract for the development of a solid rocket motor just days after shareholders approved contentious changes to the company’s bylaws. europeanspaceflight.com/avio-lands-65-…

Both stages of Rocket Factory Augsburg’s RFA ONE rocket for its first flight have arrived at SaxaVord. According to the company, the launch is expected in the summer, meaning anytime between June and the end of August. Image credit: RFA

ESA has lost contact with one of two PROBA-3 spacecraft after an anomaly forced it into survival mode. europeanspaceflight.com/esa-has-lost-c…

Austrian space propulsion company ENPULSION has secured €22.5 million in new funding to expand its footprint in the US market. europeanspaceflight.com/enpulsion-secu…

A new £500 million space sector spending package announced by the UK government on 4 March includes £20 million to accelerate the development of spaceport infrastructure in Scotland. europeanspaceflight.com/the-uk-will-in…

ESA has announced a call for tenders to examine the feasibility of a European-led space station initiative as it prepares for the retirement of the ISS. europeanspaceflight.com/esa-to-open-ca…

PLD Space has closed a €180 million Series C funding round, led by a €50 million investment from Japanese satellite manufacturer Mitsubishi Electric. europeanspaceflight.com/spains-pld-spa…

Infinite Orbits has announced two acquisitions in less than a week, expanding its European footprint just months after securing €40 million in funding. europeanspaceflight.com/infinite-orbit…