The European Space Agency has published a call to begin work on a demonstrator of a reusable launch vehicle upper stage.
Published on 13 March, the call outlines a project in its very earliest stages of development. Its primary aim is the “identification of the technology maturation needs for the reusable upper stage demonstration.” This will include identifying critical and enabling technologies required for the project, consolidating high-level requirements that would be used to initiate phase 1 development, and the exploration of commercial applications for the technology.
The reusable upper stage demonstrator project is being managed under ESA’s Space Transportation Technology Coordination Office as part of its Future Launchers Preparatory Programme.
In addition to the reusable upper stage initiative, ESA is also pursuing the development of reusable rocket boosters and a high-thrust reusable staged combustion engine.
The Boosters for European Space Transportation (BEST!) project aims to foster competition for new concepts of future reusable first or booster stages. The project’s findings will be presented for a decision on the continued development of the selected concepts at the ESA ministerial-level council meeting in late 2025.
The Technologies for High-thrust Re-Usable Space Transportation (THRUST!) project is focused on pushing forward European liquid propulsion technology with the aim of reaching a significant demonstration of high-thrust stage combustion engine technology.
With the publication of the reusable upper stage call, ESA has laid out its blueprint for a future European heavy-to-super-heavy-lift launch capability. The challenge will now be to convert this from demonstration technology to a commercially viable product, something similar projects like Themis and Prometheus have thus far been unable to do despite years of development.
