The European Space Agency has published a tender aimed at beginning the development of a very high-thrust rocket engine for future heavy-lift launch vehicles.Article:
Here's the actual tender: https://esastar-publication-ext.sso.esa.int/ESATenderActions/details/71553"for the heavy liftcapability" implies that this tender is, indeed, to power something like EHLL.However, it could also serve for other purposes. It's similar in thrust to DLR's "SpaceLiner Main Engine", which they proposed would power a large winged RLV. It's also about twice the thrust of a Vulcain or Prometheus engine, so it could power a future upgrade of Ariane 6. In any case, the tender serves "to elaborate further the concept and de-risk the enablingtechnologies and infrastructures at the basis of such a very high thrust propulsion building block". In other words, "write a few papers". Don't expect any actual hardware until money is allocated at the 2025 ministerial council..
As part of ESA’s Future Launchers Preparatory Programme (FLPP), the first phase of hot-fire tests has been completed on a new, variable-thrust rocket engine in Warsaw, Poland. The engine is being developed by a Polish consortium investigating new designs for propellant valves and injectors that can vary the thrust of rocket engines powered by more sustainable and storable propellants. Such engines have great potential for use in future space missions and reusable rockets. The new engine is called the Throttleable Liquid Propulsion Demonstrator (TLPD), it is now being dismounted and inspected, with the results being analysed at the site of prime contractor ‘Łukasiewicz Research Network – Institute of Aviation’ (Lukasiewicz-ILOT) in Poland, with partners Astronika and Jakusz SpaceTech, before the next phase of testing begins.
The throttleable engine includes a newly designed fuel injector and control valves. With a thrust of 5kN (compared to the Ariane 6 upper stage engine's thrust of 180 kN), the TLPD engine is perfect for the upper stage of smaller rockets, for in-space vehicles, for launcher kick-stages and exploration missions. The ability to modify its thrust makes it also very interesting for landing spacecraft on Earth, the Moon and beyond.
Pangea Aerospace has been tasked by the European Space Agency (ESA) to identify de-risking technologies and design a Very High Thrust rocket engine for future European launchers.
The company will conduct a detailed market analysis to identify current and future needs, as well as design a very high thrust engine of over 2MN of thrust.
Spanish propulsion startup Arkadia Space announced a contract Feb. 11 to supply monopropellant thrusters to MaiaSpace, a French startup backed by ArianeGroup that is developing a reusable small launch vehicle.Arkadia Space will supply 250-newton thrusters designed for the Reaction Control System of the MaiaSpace launcher.
The first on-orbit testing of an Arkadia Space propulsion system is scheduled to launch in March on a D-Orbit ION Satellite on a SpaceX Transporter 13 rideshare.Arkadia Space developed the 250-newton thrusters with funding from the European Space Agency Future Launchers Preparatory Program.
The Łukasiewicz Research Network’s Institute of Aviation has successfully completed its second hot-fire test campaign for the Throttleable Liquid Propulsion Demonstrator rocket engine.Development of the Throttleable Liquid Propulsion Demonstrator (TLPD) is led by a consortium of Polish companies under ESA’s Future Launchers Preparatory Programme. The engine uses high-test peroxide and ethanol and is capable of producing 5 kN of thrust.
Spanish company Pangea Aerospace developed and tested the first aerospike engine in the world to run on liquid methane and oxygen. This video shows scenes of the engine being tested at the German aerospace center, DLR, test centre in Lampoldshausen Germany in 2021.
In a 23 April update, the Łukasiewicz Research Network’s Institute of Aviation (Łukasiewicz–ILOT) announced that it had been selected by MaiaSpace to develop a rocket engine to power Maia’s Colibri kick stage. According to the announcement, the engine will be based on technology developed by Łukasiewicz–ILOT as part of its Green Bipropellant Apogee Rocket Engine (GRACE) initiative, a project financed by the European Space Agency under the Future Launchers Preparatory Programme.
29 October 2025: ESA Future Space Transportation Autumn sessionHosted by the Directorate of Space Transportation at ESA in Paris, France.This event will provide an information update on the European Space Transportation ecosystem preparation. Autumn focus pertains to the Future Launchers Preparatory Programme (FLPP) proposal at CM25, promoting innovation through the preparation of new solutions and accompaniment of new actors towards end-to-end space transportation services for orbital payload delivery, in-orbit assembly, manufacturing, fuelling and experimentation.
The European Space Agency has issued a call for proposals for the second phase of its Reusable Upper Stage Demonstrator project.Initially announced in March 2024, the Reusable Upper Stage Demonstrator project is being managed by ESA’s Space Transportation Technology Coordination Office under the agency’s Future Launchers Preparatory Programme (FLPP). The FLPP initiative focuses on developing and maturing critical technologies for future European rockets, as well as upgrades for existing launch systems.
