ESA signed contracts with The Exploration Company & Thales Alenia Space to develop a cargo return service from the ISS, aiming to avoid its deorbit. Unlike the Automated Transfer Vehicle, the new vehicle will allow cargo to be returned to Earth.
Thales Alenia Space, with over four decades of heritage, will be involved in developing the new cargo service, which will include pressurized cargo deliveries to the ISS and safe return by end of 2028.
The Exploration Company, a German-French organization, is working on the Nyx spacecraft designed to deliver cargo from space stations to Earth. ESA aims for independence from existing cargo return providers like Russia and the US.
ESA's program of developing a cargo return service mirrors NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services contracts, with SpaceX being a successful example. The goal is to have more options beyond just Russia and the US for cargo transportation.
#esa #international-space-station #cargo-return-service #european-space-companies #space-exploration
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