On 16 January 2024, the European Space Agency, innovators and industry leaders gathered at ESA Headquarters Nikis in Paris to celebrate groundbreaking technological proposals in space transportation at the ESA FIRST! Award Ceremony.
The companies behind the top-ranked proposals showcased their projects which were submitted to the ‘FIRST! Technology Disruptors’ invitation to tender.
The Future Innovation and Research in Space Transportation programme, or FIRST!, an initiative of ESA’s STS Future Launchers Preparatory Programme (FLPP), aims to identify and support innovative and promising technology disruptors benefitting future European space transportation. STS, or space transportation, works to ensure Europe’s autonomy in access to space and transport in space.
‘We began FIRST! in April 2023 with the goal of accelerating technology de-risking through rapid prototyping and testing’, explained Luis Escudero who leads the FIRST! initiative, ‘but speed runs through the entire process. Our contracts and project launch times are notably faster, and we are on track to test these disruptive technologies by the end of this year.’ FIRST!, in a first for a space agency in Europe, operates with a high-risk, high-gain mindset.
Kelly Matthews, who presented ATG Europe in Italy’s proposal, commented on the uniqueness of the FIRST! initiative: ‘The speed and ease of the FIRST! programme has been a breath of fresh air. It’s really facilitating European technology providers to get their ideas and products to the market faster, which is beneficial to the competitiveness of the European space industry as a whole’.
New Methods for New Space
FIRST! launches calls for ideas through OSIP, the ESA Open Space Innovation Platform. This departure from traditional practices opens the door to newcomers in the industry, allowing start-ups and smaller companies, who previously did not have the opportunity to partner with ESA, to pitch their ideas.
This commitment to open innovation was evident in the applicant demographics. Over 70% of the 41 companies that submitted to the call for ideas were from start-ups, demonstrating how the programme had successfully attracted new talent to the European space sector. At the end of the short-listing process, almost half of the top-ranked proposals came from start-ups.
In a further departure from traditional practices, ESA sought input from investors and potential customers when designing the call for ideas which organisers believe helped strengthen the quality of the proposals and will certainly improve the commercial prospects for the winning products.
Coopetition: Collaborating With Competitors
Promising proposals were selected for round two. ESA hosted an online Pitch Day in October 2023 where companies had the opportunity to present their ideas to prime contractors, investors, Member State delegates and ESA experts. This event fostered FLPP’s goal ‘coopetition’, cooperation among competing companies, and inspired collaborations which have led to the creation of multiple consortia dedicated to the development of their technology proposals. Notably, one consortium included partners from different European countries, demonstrating the value of ESA member state collaboration in driving innovation.
Companies honed their proposals before the final selection. After the invitation to tender process, nine companies were awarded by ESA for their top-ranking proposals under the four categories. These companies will receive a contract.
- Reusable thermal protection for launchers
- MT-Aerospace (Germany)
- Compoxi (Spain)
- Innovative joining technologies
- AIRBUS Netherlands (The Netherlands)
- ArianeGroup GmbH (Germany)
- OCCAM Space (Spain)
- Advanced composite structures
- OHB CZECHSPACE (Czech Republic)
- CompPair (Switzerland)
- ATG Europe (Italian branch)
- Lightweight stainless-steel tanks and structures
- RFA – Germany
At the networking event following the ceremony, Swiss start-up CompPair demonstrated the remarkable capabilities of their healable composite by forcefully damaging a composite plate. The plate was seamlessly repaired within minutes using a heat gun, returning it to its former undamaged glory.
After rigorous testing and causing a range of damage to their objects made from their composite, CompPair has yet to discover the upper limit of reparability. This material has the potential to revolutionise launcher production by reducing waste and increasing reusability. CompPair is currently modifying the material for certification for use in space.
Following their demonstration, CompPair was approached by other companies interested in creating partnerships. This spirit of coopetition was evident throughout the FIRST! Award Ceremony and the subsequent networking event. ‘FIRST! is connecting the dots and creating a large network. We are a well-established company, but putting us in contact with newcomers also creates an opportunity for us’, emphasised Javad Fatemi from Airbus Netherlands.
Manuel Serrano from Spanish start-up OCCAM Space highlighted the aid that FIRST! has provided. ‘In our case, we were further supported by more launch service providers thanks to this kind of initiative (…) it reinforced the interest of the industries, which really helped us’.
Inspired by the proposals, the winners, industry, and ESA experts exchanged ideas and began exploring ways to collaborate. This collaboration is at the core of ESA FLPP events and will accelerate the successful future of space transportation in Europe.
Submit Your Proposals
ESA is now seeking innovative proposals in avionics and guidance, navigation and control (GNC) for future space transportation. The FIRST! Avionics and GNC call for ideas will soon be released on OSIP. Other FLPP calls, for both FIRST! and other FLPP ventures, will be opened on OSIP throughout the year.
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