The purpose of the call is to foster new business opportunities enabled by the E3P with the goal to develop a sustainable economy in space, including Low-Earth Orbit (LEO), Moon and Mars. Opportunities include both, the use of human infrastructures in space for application-driven research and services addressing terrestrial markets (e.g. human health, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, robotics, manufacturing, agriculture, food production) as well as the provision of services supporting and enabling new exploration missions targeting LEO, Moon and Mars (e.g. transportation, communications and navigation services, in-situ resource utilisation, in-space manufacturing).
ESA’s Commercial Partnerships leverage unique partner capabilities to develop new markets and are driven by an industry-led business plan that combines public as well as private sector capabilities, investments, benefits and risk sharing. As a commercial partner, ESA can provide technical support and expertise, co-funding of technology development, access to ESA ground- and space-based research facilities (such as the ISS) and act as an enabling customer during the early implementation phase.