On 2 April, the European Space Agency’s Future Space Transportation Spring Session brought together ESA experts, Member State delegations, and space transportation users and suppliers at ESA Headquarters in Paris. Organised by FLPP, ESA’s programme for future space transportation, the event was a rare moment to celebrate collective progress, exchange ideas, and look forward to the coming months.
With over 200 attendees in Paris, many more tuning in online, and a packed agenda, the energy around the event was tangible. Discussions ranged from project updates and award announcements to reflections on the need for a strong and cohesive European space transportation market. A reinvigorated sense of European unity rang throughout the event: there was a clear recognition that this work is not only technically ambitious, but that building truly independent, resilient and commercially viable space transportation capabilities are an immediate priority.
“The FLPP programmes are incredibly engaging for our engineers”, said Casper Hoppe of Clemessy / Eiffage Energie Systemes. “As a supplier working closely with prime contractors, we see real value in how these initiatives support the development of future space transportation and test infrastructure. The vision behind FLPP is contagious, and the energy at the Spring Session reflected that – especially in moments where we celebrated the progress we’re making together for European industry”.
Innovation with Industry: FLPP’s Dual Focus
FLPP, ESA’s future space transportation programme, is guiding the development of a modular and interoperable space transportation ecosystem to, in, and back from space. During the Spring Session, Jerome Breteau, Head of Future Space Transportation at ESA, outlined how FLPP identifies the most pressing technological needs for this ecosystem and supports industry in developing these technologies through targeted funding, access to testing, and technical expertise. Breteau reinforced how FLPP simultaneously advances innovation and creates the conditions for innovations to be adopted and scaled.
Philip Thomas, head of the ScaleUp programme in the Commercialisation, Industry and Competitiveness directorate, stressed that a viable space transportation ecosystem requires more than innovation: it also needs a market. Commercialisation has long been part of FLPP, but the focus is increasingly on creating the market conditions for such capabilities to thrive. Panels throughout the event reiterated the importance of this dual logic: driving technical progress while laying the groundwork for a successful orbital economy.
Project Updates Across the Ecosystem
Rather than showcasing isolated achievements, the Spring Session demonstrated how each contributes to the wider system. The team behind the FIRST! programme, which advances disruptive technology maturation, shared lessons from its FIRST! Structures, Materials and Processes initiative. Participating companies presented the results of their work with ESA, highlighting project purposes, milestones, commercial opportunities and next steps. The announcement of the FIRST! Propulsion winners marked a moment of celebration, as ESA prepares to support the progression of the selected projects, advancing innovative technologies across all domains of liquid propulsion for space transportation.
Discussions on BEST! and THRUST! focused on how both programmes are building the foundation for future European reusable launch capabilities. Subscale testing of staged combustion engine subsystems under THRUST! is preparing the ground for full-scale demonstrations of high-thrust engines, while BEST! is quickly advancing reusable stages with industry partners, focusing on demonstrators that will accelerate development and provide tangible, visible milestones. Both programmes feed directly into Europe’s long-term goal of independent access to space, reinforcing the shift from one-off missions to a resilient and scalable transportation ecosystem.
The session also featured updates on the InSPoC (In-Space Proof-of-Concepts) programme, which drives the development of key technologies required to realise Odyssey: the in-space orbital propellant depot that will be at the core of a future in-space transportation network. These developments reflect the shift from mission-specific infrastructure to long-term, service-based space operations and entirely new business models, based on reusable systems and intelligent coordination in orbit.
ESA’s Future Space Transportation Team – Credits: ESA
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Strategic Alignment for Europe’s Space Transportation Future
The event’s fireside chat brought together two ESA Directors to discuss the growing importance of resilience, sustainability and autonomy in Europe’s space transportation plans. It is rare to see this level of senior engagement on a single topic, and the presence of Laurent Jaffart, Director of Connectivity and Secure Communications, who joined Toni Tolker-Nielsen, Director of Space Transportation, underlined the importance of this programme’s advancements. Although their directorates focus on very different domains, the conversation made clear that they share a common strategic priority.
“For secure communications, autonomy in space is a clear necessity”, said Laurent Jaffart, “Without reliable access to orbit, even the most advanced satellite systems cannot provide reliable services. Resilience begins with disaggregation and security across the entire infrastructure”.
Toni Tolker-Nielsen reinforced the message: “Security and resilience necessitate setting clear requirements, ensuring ownership of key technologies, and exploring dual-use potential where possible. With FLPP, we’re building capabilities that Europe can trust and control”.
Rather than treating each strand separately, the event emphasised the synchronisation of multiple moving parts. All are aligned with a shared goal: developing the technology Europe needs to introduce a robust orbital economy.
Anticipation buzzed throughout the day’s networking opportunities, where ideas were exchanged as openly as technical updates. With a sense of continued momentum, participants recognised the necessity of advancing these technologies and the facilitating role of the FLPP programme. FLPP is shaping Europe’s future in space now, and the community behind it is more focused and committed than ever.
FLPP holds regular competitions to support the development of technologies that will power Europe’s future in space. Learn more about FLPP and current opportunities to get involved, and join the next programme update in Paris on 29 October.
Visit the ESA Space Transportation Website
