The European Space Agency has awarded Italy’s ALTEC a €61 million contract to provide training, logistics, and operations support services for the International Space Station over a five-year period.
ALTEC has been responsible for providing training, logistics, and operations support services for the International Space Station (ISS) Columbus programme since 2015. Columbus is the European Space Agency’s primary research module aboard the ISS. It was built by Airbus Defence and Space and launched aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis on 7 February 2008. The module enables European astronauts to conduct a wide range of scientific experiments in microgravity aboard the orbiting laboratory.
In September 2024, ESA issued a call for proposals to cover Europe’s training, logistics, and operations support (TLO) requirements for the International Space Station from 2025 to 2029. On 8 April 2025, during the 40th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, the agency awarded the €61 million contract to ALTEC.
Under the contract, ALTEC will be responsible for training ESA astronauts and ground crews, managing end-to-end logistics for ESA payloads and experiments, and providing operational support to ensure missions run smoothly. However, unlike previous TLO services contracts awarded to ALTEC, this latest agreement will include support for more than one space station.
According to a 10 April ALTEC press release, the contract will also cover support for the Gateway space station and for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit.
“ALTEC is preparing for the challenge of the new era of human exploration beyond low Earth orbit,” said ALTEC CEO Vincenzo Giorgio. “And the great experience of the ISS TLO services is our launch pad for the operations of the Lunar Gateway, but also to continue the services for the imminent use of commercial LEO stations.”
Work on the Gateway project will primarily focus on training preparation at the European Astronaut Centre in Germany. However, it will also include support for ESA’s preparations for operating the agency’s contributions to the Gateway space station.
