The European Space Agency has awarded Boost! contract extensions worth €44.2 million to HyImpulse, Isar Aerospace, Orbex, and Rocket Factory Augsburg.
ESA member states adopted the Boost! initiative in late 2019. The primary aim of the initiative is to provide co-funding to support the development of commercial space transportation services.
HyImpulse, Isar Aerospace, and Rocket Factory Augsburg received initial support from ESA’s Boost! programme in May 2020 as part of the DLR microlauncher competition. All three received an initial €500,000. Isar Aerospace and Rocket Factory Augsburg then received an additional €11 million after winning the competition’s first and second rounds respectively. In December 2023, HyImpulse received an additional £3.4 million in Boost! funding to perform its hybrid propulsion test programme.
Orbex received €7.45 million through the Boost! programme in March 2021. In December 2023, the company was awarded £3.3 million in additional funds to build a green propellant plant at its Sutherland Spaceport.
According to ESA, the €44.2 million in funding awarded through the Boost! contract extensions is aimed at alleviating the pressure in the months before an inaugural flight when costs are high and the potential to generate revenue is limited.
“Europe’s emerging commercial launch service providers are pushing towards their first launches,” said Toni Tolker-Nielsen, ESA’s Director of Space Transportation. “We are very interested to see their rockets deliver, diversifying the European launch services on offer.”
While the ESA press release did not disclose the specific amounts awarded to each company, announcements from the companies have revealed that Orbex will receive €5.6 million, Isar Aerospace €15 million, and both Rocket Factory Augsburg and HyImpulse €11.8 million each.
Isar Aerospace is poised to be the first among the four companies to launch its orbital rocket. The company’s Spectrum rocket stands 28 meters tall and is designed to deliver up to 1,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit. Currently, Isar is conducting integrated tests at its launch facility in Norway, with the inaugural launch potentially occurring before the end of 2024.
