Space Resources:
Today, most space resources activities are dominated by public sector actors (space agencies) and those companies serving the public sector as service/product providers. The commercial value / profit motive is not proven without an anchor space agency as a customer. However, enabling technologies (AI, autonomy, robotics, prospecting, material processing, energy, thermal management, etc.) are commercially valuable in existing and emerging markets. Companies interested in space resources view the Lunar surface/beyond as an environmentally challenging proving ground, a strategically valuable next step, or a branding boon.
Advanced Materials and In-orbit Manufacturing:
Microgravity and other in-orbit conditions may enable advanced materials and manufacturing processes that are difficult or impossible to achieve on Earth, creating potential commercial opportunities in areas such as semiconductors, optical fibres, thin films, specialty materials, thermal processing, and additive manufacturing. While activity today remains largely at the R&D, demonstration, and publicly supported stage, interest is growing among both space and terrestrial organisations that see potential for differentiated products, new production methods, or strategic entry into future in-space markets. However, the pathway from technical promise to commercial scale remains unclear. Key barriers may include limited access to flight opportunities and in-orbit services, high development costs, immature supply chains, uncertain customer demand, qualification challenges, and a lack of clear investment pathways. Through this RFI, ESA is seeking to understand where credible commercial pull exists, what business models or market opportunities appear most viable, what barriers are preventing organisations from engaging or scaling, and what forms of support, partnership, or engagement would be most effective in enabling sustainable commercial growth.
Health & Life Sciences:
Microgravity is opening new opportunities for the life sciences and health sectors by enabling research that cannot be performed under Earth’s gravity conditions. In space, scientists can better study cell behavior, tissue growth, protein crystallization, and disease mechanisms, leading to advances in drug discovery, personalized and regenerative medicine or bioprinting technologies. These projects can help address major health market challenges such as aging populations, chronic diseases, and the growing demand for innovative therapies. Interest in this field is rapidly growing as the costs of access to space decrease and international collaborations expand, while public agencies and private space companies are creating new platforms for commercial biomedical experiments. Main challenges to the growth of microgravity research in the Life Sciences sector still include the limited access to space missions and orbital platforms, strict regulatory requirements for biomedical experiments, in addition to technical complexity and long development timelines.
Agri-Food:
Space environments may offer new opportunities for the agri-food sector by enabling research and development under conditions that are difficult or impossible to reproduce on Earth. Potential areas of interest include plant growth, cellular agriculture, fermentation, microbial systems, food preservation, alternative proteins, nutrient production, bioprocessing, and technologies for more resilient, resource-efficient food systems. For terrestrial agri-food markets, these approaches may contribute to advance technologies, and capabilities to approach challenges such as climate resilience, sustainable production, reduced resource consumption, food security, circularity, and the development of novel ingredients or production processes. At the same time, the route from space-enabled experimentation to commercial agri-food applications remains uncertain. Key barriers may include limited awareness among agri-food companies of relevant space capabilities, high costs and limited access to flight or analogue testing opportunities, unclear regulatory and safety pathways, long validation timelines, uncertain customer demand, and the need to demonstrate credible advantages over terrestrial R&D approaches.
Webinar
The four BSGN Industry Accelerators will host a dedicated webinar to present each of the market segment they represent, providing an explanation of the RFI questionnaire and clarify questions of prospective applicants.
Webinar date: 18th of June: 15:00 - 17:00 - host: ESA, MEDES, the Satellite Applications Catapult, ESRIC, and STAM.
General inquiries may be directed through the OSIP platform.
Next Steps
- ESA Assessment of responses to inform the S4I Workshops.
- Select respondents to be invited for the S4I Workshops.
- Summary of insights from RFI and Workshop shared with the community.
Indicative Timeline
