Europe on Monday challenged the private sector to develop services for small rockets that could guide future space reform, while stabilising finances for troubled medium and heavyweight launchers for the coming decade.
The head of the European Space Agency (ESA) said the decision to foster competition had long-term implications for the industry, which is wrestling with a short-term gap in space access due to delays and technical setbacks with Ariane 6 and Vega-C rockets.
"We are in the midst of a paradigm shift for space transportation," Director General Josef Aschbacher said halfway through two days of space talks in Seville, Spain.
