OHB AG (Prime Standard, ISIN: DE0005936124) and the European Space Agency (ESA) have signed a contract to study innovative concepts for future European access to space.

The purpose of the New European Launch Service (NELS) study is to submit to ESA innovative proposals on how Europe can maintain its current leadership in the satellite launch market. It will evaluate how ESA member states, in the face of increasing global competition, can secure independent and affordable access to space in the post-ARIANE 5 era.

The study has a contract value of EUR 2.25 million and a term of 12 months. The OHB companies involved are MT Aerospace AG, Augsburg (lead), and OHB System AG, Bremen. The team also comprises Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, Safran, RUAG Space, ASTOS Solutions and several independent experts.

The study will explore new technical solutions for a European launch vehicle as well as organizational and business models for development, production, and operation. Primary objective is to achieve significant cost reductions in the service.

Marco Fuchs, CEO of OHB AG, said: “This is the first time in the recent past that ESA has awarded such an important study on launch service concepts simultaneously to more than one competitor. The award of this prominent contract offers us an excellent opportunity for contributing our ideas in this area, which is of such prime future importance for Europe.”