The In-Orbit Refurbishment and Upgrading Service (IRUS) is a first-of-its-kind refurbishment and upgrading mission concept, proposed by Astroscale and BAE Systems, aligned with ESA’s Circular Economy strategy. The outcome of the systems study was a servicer design, taking elements of Astroscale’s ELSA-M and COSMIC platforms, and a modified, prepared BAE Systems client platform. DHV Technology assessed the potential to refurbish and upgrade solar cells and solar arrays.

The Team evaluated a mission concept to robotically refurbish a GEO satellite by replacing a component of the Electric Propulsion subsystem. The Team performed a case-study to evaluate the suitability of existing propulsion systems for refurbishment. Further, they created a set of circular economy system maps to envisage what the future in-orbit circular economy would look like, and identified a business case that supports refurbishment based on purely commercial value.

The Solar System Internet (SSI) aims to provide a network-centric communication system between all classes of space assets and the ground. Additionally, for space assets, the SSI aims to provide Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) services for assets located beyond earth orbit. In parallel, the SSI will enable the next generation of space-to-ground links (e.g. Ka-band, optical). 

When parachutes are deployed, the parachute material is extracted from the deployment bag at high speed. Interaction with the parachute bag during deployment can cause damage which can propagate and cause parachute failure during inflation. After a parachute has failed during inflation, it is impossible to determine whether the initial damage was caused during deployment or inflation. A parachute extraction rig thus provides an invaluable tool for testing parachute deployment before committing to expensive system flight tests of the system.

Isar Aerospace SE (ISAR), headquartered in Ottobrunn, Germany, offers a new flexible and cost efficient European launch service using Spectrum, the in-house developed launch vehicle. The full system testing and launch experience with Spectrum is crucial in enabling fast and low-cost space access for small and medium satellites. The activity proposes high cadence services that will accelerate competitiveness and market presence, while ensuring competitive launch services by designing, building, and launching vehicles in a fully vertically integrated approach.

ESA is interested in launch services from European operators of European privately developed launch services for its mission needs. The aim of this Preparation activity was to identify the capabilities of European companies, assess their robustness and help prepare them to become ESA’s launch service suppliers. Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) was founded in 2018 with a vision to facilitate data-driven business models in space, RFA strives to enhance Earth monitoring, protection, and connectivity. RFA is currently developing the RFA ONE launch vehicle, targeting its first test flight in 2024.

The Rapid Apophis Mission for Security and Safety (RAMSES) primary mission objective is to characterize and monitor the dynamic behaviour of the asteroid 99942 Apophis before, during, and after its close Earth fly-by in 2029.

This report summarises the feasibility study result of AltiCube+, a low-cost long fixed-baseline radar altimeter solution based on CubeSats on-orbit assembly. Various altimeter concepts based on the AltiCube+ solution, including off-nadir SARIn and a Multiple-Input and Multiple-Output, have been explored, aiming at sub-kilometre cross-track resolution for water level monitoring. Key technologies on deployable structures, autonomous assembly and highly capable platform have been assessed.

The “16U4SBSP” mission concept is a fundamental technology demonstration step for the realization of kW-/MW-/GW-scale Space-Based Solar Power (SBSP) based on flight formation, a distributed or aggregated swarm of small satellites contrary to conventional concepts of monolithic giant SBSP satellites. In this mission, a swarm of 16U CubeSats collaboratively supply wireless power via Radio-Frequency waves to end-users in different locations on the ground, for instance to provide backup power for emergency situations, and also for space-to-space commercial use-cases.

RaCERS is a swarm of eight small satellites that will fly in close formation to exploit the enormous power of cooperating radars to boost the quantity and resolution of environmental observations from space. This will transform the science of Earth environmental monitoring and forecasting applied to such vital concerns as severe weather, natural hazards, snow/ice cover, soil moisture, vegetation canopy, surface winds, ocean circulation and much more.