After the successful launch of Ariane 6 in 2025, access to Europe’s space ambitions is gaining momentum. Launch of reusable launcher first stage demonstrator Themis T1H by SALTO project This represents a decisive step towards sustainable and autonomous access to space. Other EU-supported initiatives, such as the ENLIGHTEN project and the upcoming €20 million Call for Innovative Technologies, aim to further accelerate Europe’s progress in accessing space.
EU-supported space research activities advance Europe’s access to space
The recent flight of Europe’s flagship launch vehicle Ariane 6 in its most powerful four-booster configuration marked a renewal of Europe’s autonomous access to space and its ability to provide high-performance services to both institutional and commercial customers. Ariane 6, together with Vega C, provides the European launch vehicle family with complementary capabilities covering heavy and medium-sized aircraft missions, with a significant launch schedule specified in 2026.
Over the past few decades, the European Commission has significantly increased investment in space research and innovation. Under Horizon Europe, the EU Space Research and Innovation (R&I) program works specifically on access to space to strengthen critical technology development and support ground-based facilities, with the aim of strengthening competitiveness and strengthening Europe’s access to space. Space research projects are directly managed by the Space Research Unit of HaDEA, an executive agency of the European Commission, and have achieved concrete results.
Access to space is a strategic capability that allows the EU to deploy its missions and constellations such as Galileo, Copernicus and Iris completely independently.2. The EU supports non-dependence and strategic autonomy in this field, and the Horizon Europe Framework Program has so far invested €120 million for access to space research activities.
Europe’s first reusable launcher flight campaign
Having its own reusable launcher is fundamental to Europe’s ambition to strengthen its ability to autonomously and sustainably access space by increasing the maximum achievable launch rate. Europe is committed to mastering launcher reusability through both ESA and European Commission initiatives.
of salt project This is a large-scale initiative, bringing together 26 key EU industry players working on reusable launcher technology and operations. This is based on the first phase of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) effort to develop reusable rockets, and will use the launch vehicle first stage prototype ‘Themis T1H’ manufactured by Ariane Group as prime contractor under ESA’s Future Launch Preparation Program (FLPP).
The Themis T1H prototype included the development of a flight test demonstrator for low-cost rocket recovery and reuse technologies on a scale representative of medium-sized launch vehicles. In particular, it is powered by the high-power, variable-thrust, reusable engine Prometheus®, also developed by Ariane Group.
The main activity of the SALTO project is the T1H flight test campaign, which covers three low-altitude flights (vertical takeoff and landing) and aims to demonstrate the aircraft’s ability to take off, land, recover, refurbish, and prepare for the next flight. The development of Themis and the SALTO flight test campaign also represent a change in the mindset of European space research and development, embracing greater risk-taking through a “test and learn” approach. This includes building a prototype, conducting calculated-risk test flights, and learning from each step of the process. Actual testing reveals critical issues that are difficult to simulate. This approach aims to accelerate innovation, significantly reduce costs, and deliver a system that is continuously improved.
Themis T1H will be operated from Swedish Space Corporation facilities. Esrange Space Center The first low-altitude “hop” (vertical takeoff and landing maneuver) is planned for 2026 in northern Sweden.
SALTO enables ripening Of the 34 key technologies that enable reusabilitysome of which will be tested directly on the T1H demonstrator flight and others targeted for future launch vehicles. These technologies span the full range of reusable launch subsystems, including aerodynamics and aerothermodynamics, lightweight and high-performance structures, advanced landing systems, and thermal protection solutions. Alongside avionics and integrated guidance, navigation and control technologies, the project is also evolving system monitoring and safety features such as an autonomous flight termination system.
Next-generation propulsion technology for European launch vehicles
The European Commission is also enabling advances to new propulsion technologies. and enlighten and With the ENLIGHTEN-ED project (European Initiative for Low-Cost, Innovative, Green High-Thrust Engines – Engine Demonstration), European industry is moving beyond early-stage research to the concrete development and maturation of a key propulsion device aimed at reshaping European launch economics. The initiative focuses on high-thrust cryogenic engines designed to reduce production and operating costs while improving the sustainability and performance of future European space transportation systems.
ENLIGHTEN builds on initial and ongoing propulsion work carried out under the Prometheus program within the European Space Agency’s Future Launch Readiness Program. While Prometheus laid the foundation for low-cost methane or hydrogen propulsion, ENLIGHTEN is expanding its efforts by accelerating subsystem maturation and integrating cost-driven design approaches.
ENLIGHTEN is operated by a consortium that reorganizes key European actors in access to space systems and space technology.
At the heart of the project is the development of an integrated propulsion ecosystem that combines advanced additive manufacturing, digital engineering tools, and artificial intelligence-driven diagnostics. By using large-scale 3D printing for complex engine components, ENLIGHTEN aims to significantly reduce the number of parts, shorten manufacturing cycles and simplify the supply chain. In parallel, AI-based health monitoring and performance assessment tools are being developed to optimize engine reliability and maintenance and support future reusable architectures.
The project also covers key subsystems such as high-pressure turbomachinery components, electrically regulated valves, innovative ignition systems, and advanced nozzle technology. The combination of these elements aims to improve engine efficiency while increasing operational flexibility.
The project will support Europe’s transition to cryogenic propulsion systems that combine liquid oxygen with methane or hydrogen. By advancing these technologies towards higher readiness levels in the coming years, ENLIGHTEN’s development aims to be used directly as an upgrade not only for current launchers, but also for future reusable modular launchers.
All activities are structured around an engine demonstration platform that progressively integrates and validates these technologies under representative conditions. By combining subsystem innovation with system-level integration and testing, ENLIGHTEN aims to deliver propulsion solutions that move directly from laboratory development to operational launch systems.
Revolutionary innovation: Call for new proposals
To complement technology development efforts like SALTO and ENLIGHTEN, the European Commission has also invested €5 million.Breakthrough Innovation Award in European Launch Solutions” is designed to reward less mature innovation concepts that have the potential to transform access to space and strengthen the EU’s strategic autonomy. 5 winning teams has won awards for disruptive innovations in areas ranging from autonomous flight termination to new propulsion materials. Building on this initiative, the European Commission and the European Parliament have announced larger actions for 2026. It is a call for 20 million euros in the name of “Groundbreaking Innovations for European Launch Solutions” (PPPA-2026-Launcher-Game Change). The call, managed by the Space Research Division of the government agency HaDEA, is seeking proposals focused on disruptive propulsion technologies, with the aim of demonstrating operational capabilities by 2035. The call for applications will be announced on January 29, 2026, and applications are being accepted until April 29, 2026 at 17:00:00 (Brussels time). These initiatives represent the EU’s long-term vision to accelerate innovation and strengthen Europe’s leadership in access to space. moreover, Horizon Europe Space R&I Work Program 2026 The plan includes a dedicated topic aimed at “strengthening the EU’s autonomous space access through EU-based spaceports” with a budget of 23 million euros.
The European Commission supports European access to space as a cornerstone of Europe’s strategic autonomy, resilience and competitiveness. This will be achieved through investments targeting a wide range of activities in key space technologies that will accelerate the development of competitive launch capabilities and a competitive European industry in a rapidly evolving global launch market.