European Launcher Challenge: preselected challengers unveiled

7 July 2025

Five Challengers have been preselected to move forward following the completion of the first stage of the ESA invitation to tender for the European Launcher Challenge.

The five Challengers are:

Isar Aerospace

Maiaspace

Orbital Express Launch

PLD space

Rocket Factory Augsburg

Now, the European Space Agency will consolidate the proposals for the ESA Council at ministerial level (CM25) happening in November 2025.

What is the European Launcher Challenge?

The European Launcher Challenge is part of ESA’s preparation for future European space transportation services, promoting a greater choice of European launch services and increased competitiveness.  The European Launcher Challenge selection process is a two-stage competitive tender. Successful Challengers may be awarded contracts for two distinct components:

Component A: launch services for ESA to be performed in the period 2026-2030.

Component B: launch service capacity upgrade demonstration, including at least one flight demonstration of the upgraded launch service capacity.

ESA has earmarked a target maximum of €169 000 000 per Challenger, covering all activities under Components A and B.

Preselected Challengers

ESA has just completed the first stage of the European Launcher Challenge, where Challengers were invited to submit proposals via esa-star tendering. The evaluation criteria include technical maturity, business maturity and sustainability, institutional market planned to be served as well as compliance to procurement rules. After a thorough evaluation, ESA preselected the proposals of the following Challengers:

Isar Aerospace

Maiaspace

Orbital Express Launch

PLD Space

Rocket Factory Augsburg

What’s next?

Now, ESA will start a dialogue phase with preselected Challengers and iterations with concerned ESA Member states to consolidate the European Launcher Challenge programme proposal and legal documentation in terms of funding, related content and/or phasing of the project, with the envisioned subscriptions to CM25 (i.e. the moment Member States commit funding). The second stage of the tender will open after CM25, restricted to the preselected challengers. Signature of the European Launcher Challenge contracts will follow.