With Boost! ESA is offering a lean and flexible partnership framework to commercially oriented entrepreneurs and their consortia to help turning new and innovative space transportation service concepts into commercial reality.
With the objective to promote and support qualifying service projects targeting European and global markets, the Boost! programme is looking for European companies developing commercial space transportation services under their own initiative and responsibility, and targeting access to space, in-orbit transportation and return-from-space capabilities.
By providing support at service level, co-funding, know-how and expertise, access to test facilities, etc., Boost! is uniquely positioned to make a difference for space transportation service developers in succeeding to develop and deploy new competitive and innovative services on the market. This is your chance to benefit from Boost!
For more information on the Boost! programme please visit our website.
The purpose of this Channel is to facilitate the implementation of the first step of the procurement process as defined in the Call For Proposals published on esa-star publication under CfP/4-40003 in the "ESA tender Actions".
Its purpose is further to guide interested companies to submit an Outline Service Proposal to ESA, initiating the first step of the tendering process that will lead to the decision on the eligibility of the service project for Boost! support.
An overview of the complete tendering process is presented for information below.
Please also refer to the Frequently Asked Questions-page on the Boost! website.
The tendering process follows a two step- approach:
First Step: Submission of an Outline Service Proposal using the submission form here in OSIP
Please take note the Special Conditions applying to the submission as listed below. An Outline Service Proposal may be submitted at any time, but ESA will evaluate proposals in batches following key submission dates.
Second Step: Submission of Full Service Proposal in esa-star Tendering
Boost! is a commercialisation programme of ESA's Space Transportation Directorate, and thus the programme is targeting space transportation service projects for its support. We are looking for commercially operating private ‘for-profit’ prime companies, potentially involving consortium partners, and developing services in one of the two following categories:
Category 1: End-to-end commercial space transportation services:
Any space transportation service that carries payloads for paying customers. Such services may include one or a combination of the following:
Service providers shall demonstrate that space transportation services are delivered to end customers in the sense that service customers shall not need to procure any additional essential service elements to obtain the full service.
Category 2: Stand-alone commercial ground-based and in-flight services:
Any novel stand-alone ground-based and in-flight services provided to commercial space transportation service provider(s) and/or spaceport operator(s). Such services may include one or a combination of the following:
Note: Service providers shall demonstrate that the stand-alone commercial ground-based and in-flight services are conceived to serve multiple space transportation service providers or spaceport operators as end customers in a non-exclusive setting.
Service projects submitted in response to the Boost! Call for Proposals shall be compliant with the following entry requirements in order to become eligible for Boost! co-funding and support:
R1: The proposed space transportation service fall within one of the two categories:
R2: The space transportation service is targeting end customers in the sense that service customers does not need to procure any additional essential service elements to obtain the full service (e.g. access to facilities, transport or logistics, etc.).
R3: Preparatory activities of providing the service have completed, at minimum, the feasibility phase at service level (completion of Phase A equivalent), and preliminary definition of relevant systems have started.
R4: The service shall target a commercially viable and sustainable business opportunity, oriented toward private sector customers, without relying on guaranteed European institutional demand in the operational phase and with a long-term vision of service provision.
R5: The new space transportation service is based on a privately-led initiative, with the Economic Operator taking responsibility for the full service development, deployment, and funding scheme, and throughout the whole value chain.
R6: Fundraising has completed Series A round or equivalent. It is expected that the funding secured by the time of Outline Service Proposal submission covers at least in the order of 10% of the anticipated service deployment cost.
ESA will co-fund eligible activities up to the maximum percentage indicated in the table below and the remainder has to be funded by the Tenderer and its Sub Contractors.
For complete information relate to the Call For Proposals published on esa-star publication under CfP/4-40003 in the "ESA tender Actions". The documents on esa-star take precedence in case of any discrepancies. The consultation of the official documentation on esa-star related to the Call For Proposals is only possible for duly registered users.
The Channel is open for submissions Outline Service Proposals for participants registered in one of ESA Boost! 1 participating Member States.
To date, these Member States include: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom.
Please note that as the Call is permanently open, until exhaustion of available budgets and currently up to end 2025. An Idea/Outline Service Proposal can be submitted at any time. ESA will evaluate, in one go, the entire batch of Outline Service Proposals received by each of the key submission dates for batch evaluations indicated hereafter:
The Tenderer is informed that every activity supported under the Boost! programme has to receive a notification of support by the National Delegation(s) of the relevant ESA Member States in which the Tenderer or any consortium partners are registered. This notification of support shall be submitted in the second tendering step, but Tenderer/Subcontractor(s) are advised to contact their National Delegation(s) already by the time of submitting an Outline Service Proposal to ESA. Contact details of National Delegations are found in Annex 2 of the Call for Proposal Invitation Letter published on esa-star publication under CfP/4-40003.
Please note, that restrictions exist for certain implementation paths, e.g. ESA procurement actions are restricted to entities eligible for doing business with ESA (see also here).
In addition to the provisions in the General Conditions of Use of the Open Space Innovation Platform (OSIP) (e.g. article VI) and the General Conditions of Participation to Campaigns and Channels organised by ESA on OSIP (e.g. article 4.3), ideas will be excluded, which:
The Outline Service Proposal will be assessed against the following Assessment Criteria:
1. Compliance with Entry Requirements and Funding Principles
ESA will assess compliance with the Entry Requirements and Funding Principles as laid out in Part 4 of the Outline Service Proposal Template (found on the Submit Idea page) on the basis of the statements and justifications provided by the Tenderer in the proposal. Non-compliance may render the proposal not eligible for requesting a Full Service Proposal by the Agency.
2. Business Opportunity and demonstrated commercial viability and sustainability of the Service Proposal
Proposals shall provide justification that the services can compete effectively in the commercial market and that services can be profitable without relying on guaranteed European institutional demand. ESA will assess the credibility of the business perspectives on the basis of realistic boundary conditions (assessment of the current offer/demand; realism of addressable market and/or identification of target customers; service value chain).
3. Technical and financial adequacy of the Service Development and Deployment Plan
Proposals shall address all relevant aspects and systems necessary to provide the service. ESA will assess the technical viability and maturity of all necessary elements, the organisation of work and consistency of the planning, as well as that management, risks and financing of the service development and deployment are addressed in an adequate way.
4. European Content of the service proposal
ESA will assess the level of European content in the service proposals. Services delivered (e.g. launched; operated; …) from ESA Member State territory, as well as services allocating the non-recurring cost for service development and deployment and the recurring cost during service provision to value added in ESA Member States will receive a higher marking.
5. Quality and suitability of the proposed programme of work
ESA will assess the compliance of the scope of work proposed with the principles laid out in this Invitation Letter. It is expected that the work plan provides for specific measurable technical and non-technical milestones, demonstrating how tangible results – commensurate with the commercial service objectives – can be obtained.
6. Financial Proposal and Contribution by the Economic Operator and its Consortium
Proposals will be assessed for eligibility of the cost for the requested ESA support in line with the funding principles laid out in this Invitation Letter, its breakdown and how the activities are co-funded, or in-kind contributions provided. This will be done for all sub-contractors acting in the scope of the proposed activities.
