ESA and the Rise of Commercial Space

In recent decades, space has progressively ceased to be the sole domain of governmental actors and commercialization of space activities has become more and more prominent. New technologies and continuous advancements in space-based end-to-end services fuel the development of space applications. Additionally, new business opportunities are emerging in relation to space data exploitation. In turn, public actors have been gradually making room for commercial undertakings. The use of space is becoming increasingly diversified, with numerous new services appearing or being developed. With the prospect of increasing revenues from both commercial and institutional applications, numerous players, new market entrants and established actors alike, are trying to position themselves on the market. The commercialization movement is already well established in the United States and the markets in Japan, China, and India now mirror this evolution. In Europe, commercialization in space is still on the rise. The European Space Agency (ESA) has been a witness as well as an active participant and collaborator in commercialization efforts in Europe in the past years. Presently, it represents one of the main platforms creating new opportunities and concepts that would allow the industry to realize its full potential. As an international organization, the mission of ESA is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and to ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Inherently, this mission includes support to industrial actors in Europe, which is now materializing in many forms and areas. The present chapter provides an overview of European commercialization efforts currently supported by the European Space Agency, as well as the outlook and immediate plans for the upcoming years.