ESA to Procure ISS Cargo Service to Meet Common Cost Obligations angielski

The European Space Agency (ESA) has issued a call for proposals outlining its intention to purchase commercial cargo transportation services to the International Space Station (ISS). The mission, which must be completed by the fourth quarter of 2028, is intended to meet the agency’s obligations under the ISS Common System Operations Costs (CSOC) framework from 2026 until the station’s decommissioning.

Published on 3 October, the call for the CSOC Cargo Commercially Procured Offset initiative outlines a single mission to transport 4,900 to 5,000 kilograms of pressurised cargo to the ISS.

In the call’s “Letter of Invitation”, the agency stated that, due to regulatory requirements that include certifications provided by NASA, the competition would be open to economic operators from the United States. ESA did, however, add that preference would be given, to the “fullest extent possible”, to bids from its Member States.