| European Launcher Challenge | |
|---|---|
 ESA logo | |
| Mission statement | "to strengthen Europe's position in the global space market and ensure sustainable and competitive access to space to European and worldwide customers" |
| Type of project | Aerospace |
| Owner | European Space Agency |
| Country | European Union,European Space Agency |
| Established | 2023; 2 years ago (2023) |
| Status | Active |
| Website | ESA.int: European Launcher Challenge |
TheEuropean Launcher Challenge(ELC) is a programme of theEuropean Space Agency (ESA) aiming to support new European space launch capabilities by funding the development of small and mediumorbital launch vehicles. Within ELC, the agency plans to select companies that will be awarded contracts for launch services in the period 2026-2030 (component A) and launch service capacity upgrade demonstrations (component B). The programme was initiated in November 2023 and a funding decision is expected at ESA Council of Ministers in November 2025. ESA has allotted a maximum of €169 million per company.[1][2][3]
ESA Council announced the European Launcher Challenge inSeville, Spain in November 2023.[4]
On 24 March 2025, ESA has officially published a call for proposals for ELC.[5] By June 2025, ESA announced that it had received 12 proposals for the programme[6] and on 7 July 2025, the agency has preselected five companies for further competition:[7][8]
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