Calls

ESA Business Applications' Open Call for Proposals - Feasibility Studies and Demonstration Projects is always open. Businesses from any sector can apply throughout the year, and the amount of funding may vary according to the project.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has an open call for Kick-Start proposals, inviting businesses to submit innovative ideas for space-based solutions. This initiative offers funding and support to help companies transform concepts into viable commercial applications.

The objective of the topic is to develop European SBISR capabilities through three pillars:

1) An access system called the Federation Layer^[1].

2) The development of a low-latency constellation made of multi-sensor small-satellites.

3) The access to existing national capabilities and capabilities under development.

It aims to pave the way towards a future operational European Earth observation defence capability for ISR applications.

Given the evolving threat environment in Space, Defence users are likely to require tailored assets to conduct space-to-space operations in support of Space Domain Awareness, to protect and ensure the uninterrupted services of space systems used for defence applications, in particular to inspect, repair, update, maintain or deorbit military satellites. However, no EU or EDF-associated armed forces currently possess such capabilities. Building upon or integrating results from relevant civilian EU-funded actions, the EDF intends to remedy to this shortfall by addressing R&D actions paving the way to future capabilities for on-orbit operations and services for defence applications.