ESA Launches First Call for Ideas for Space Resources Accelerator in Collaboration with ESRIC
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The European Space Agency (ESA), in collaboration with the European Space Resources Innovation Centre (ESRIC), is pleased to announce the launch of the inaugural Call for Ideas for its new Space Resources Accelerator. As the first business accelerator entirely dedicated to Space Resources, this pioneering initiative is designed to fast-track commercial projects that will contribute to the expanding lunar economy.
Driving Lunar Exploration
The Moon has become a central focus of global space exploration efforts in recent years. Since the first Moon landing, eight nations have conducted missions involving landings, orbiting, or flybys. With renewed interest from space agencies worldwide to return humans to the Moon and increasing private investment in lunar missions, the Moon is becoming a burgeoning hub for economic activity in space.
Earlier this year, the successful soft-landing of the first private spacecraft on the Moon, marked a significant milestone, highlighting the growing involvement of private companies in space exploration. PwC forecasts that the lunar economy will reach a market value of €170 billion over the next decade, driven by a surge in planned missions. This projection underlines the gradual shift of lunar exploration and resource utilisation from science fiction to an emerging economic reality, creating new opportunities for the commercial sector to play a crucial enabling role.
Empowering Future Lunar Pioneers
The Space Resources Accelerator is designed to support commercial entities that are developing solutions for terrestrial and space markets, with the potential to advance the lunar resources value chain. The Accelerator aims to support and co-fund technology, service, or capability demonstrations in both terrestrial and space environments.
As the Accelerator is still in its conceptual phase, this Call for Ideas offers a unique opportunity for innovators to join the first cohort and influence the development of the future lunar resources value chain.
About Our Industry Accelerators
Our Industry Accelerators aim to cultivate new economic markets in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and on the Moon. By enhancing collaboration with key market players, encouraging the participation of new actors, and stimulating demand, these accelerators work to develop new products and services based on commercially viable business models. The Industry Accelerators leverage a public-private co-funding model and are managed by ESA’s Industrial Partners. Subject to ESA Member States approval, ESA intends to unlock up to €1 million to co-fund the commercial projects selected in the first cohort of the Space Resources Accelerator.
“The Space Resources Accelerator is an important element of our overall strategy. We are putting a variety of actions in place to grow and engage a community that can support sustainable space exploration and commercialisation activities. This initiative in particular is aimed to accelerate specific commercial projects towards building a value chain around space resources.” says Bernhard Hufenbach, Commercialisation and Innovation Lead at ESA.
The Space Resources Accelerator is managed by ESRIC, the world’s first innovation centre dedicated entirely to space resources. As part of the Accelerator’s services, ESRIC will offer technical, business, and financial expertise to support the development and implementation of scalable commercial applications. This initiative aims to foster the growth of new space markets, with a particular focus on the In-Situ Resource Utilisation (ISRU) sector.
“Overall, the goal of the initiative is to stimulate lunar exploration and support relevant technologies that can be co-funded by the public and private sectors.’’, explains Alexander Godlewski, Business Accelerator Officer. “ESRIC is thrilled to support these projects with R&D expertise, state-of-the-art laboratories and facilities, so they can be ready for future lunar missions. Companies accelerated will be able to access non-dilutive public financing from ESA, matched by private funding, including private equity investments.’’
Join the Space Resources Accelerator
This Call for Ideas invites commercial entities to participate in an initiative poised to shape the future of the lunar economy. Selected projects will benefit from ESA’s co-funding, ESRIC’s cutting-edge laboratories and facilities, and guidance from technical experts. This initiative provides a significant opportunity to advance technologies critical to future lunar missions and the broader lunar economy.
