- The European Space Agency has entrusted the consortium formed by Sener, Beyond Gravity, Italian Aerospace Research Center (CIRA), Dassault Aviation, Elecnor Deimos, Pangea Aerospace, Thales Alenia Space Italia and Von Karman Institute to study the feasibility of the future European family of reusable launchers that can carry both payloads and astronauts to different destinations, based on modular blocks that do not leave space debris behind them.
- The consortium, gathering leading companies and research centers, will provide a specialized and agnostic analysis to help the agency develop independent, advanced, and sustainable access to space technologies able to compete in the global market. The objective is to develop sovereign and reusable access to space and regain Europe’s historical position in this market
The European Space Agency (ESA) has tasked a consortium led by Sener with helping to define the architecture of future European space launch systems. In addition to Sener (through its subsidiary Sener Aerospace and Defence), the consortium is formed by other leading companies in the European space sector and research institutes, such as Beyond Gravity, CIRA, Dassault Aviation, Elecnor Deimos, Pangea Aerospace, Thales Alenia Space Italia and the Von Karman Institute.
Specifically, the consortium will conduct the feasibility study and the proofs of concept for the development of a future European family of reusable launchers that are capable of carrying both payloads and astronauts, based on an innovative modular concept that encourages reuse while reducing the environmental impact in the form of space debris and emissions. These launch systems will rely on liquid fuel engines to propel the two stages that will make up these launchers, a concept called R-TSTO, meaning the launchers will consist of two stages, both reusable.
In addition to the architecture of these systems, the consortium will help define operational procedures and the associated enabling technologies, together with new program management structures. It will thus help provide a consolidated vision for the long-term offer of launch services, maximizing the coverage of mission scenarios and use cases.
The consortium will follow ESA’s roadmap for space transport for the coming decades (Vision 2030+) and provide a specialized, agnostic, and complementary perspective with respect to the technology available on the market, offering an independent approach with respect to other pre-existing European solutions. It will therefore help move further one of the strategic pillars of ESA: strengthen Europe’s technological independence and sovereignty in accessing space, and its global competitiveness in the space industry.
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