Artist’s rendering of ESA’s space station. Click for source.

The European Space Agency (ESA) today awarded study contracts to two consortium, led by Airbus and OHB, to study the feasibility of building a solely European space station after ISS is retired.

The studies, conducted by two European industrial consortia led respectively by Airbus Defence and Space (Germany) and OHB (Germany) and involving six additional industrial and institutional entities, will assess the technical and programmatic feasibility of developing and operating an orbital outpost capable of supporting human spaceflight, scientific research and technology development.

… Europe has developed extensive expertise in human-rated space infrastructure through its contributions to the Space Station, including the Columbus laboratory or the European Service Module for NASA’s Orion spacecraft which powers astronauts back to the Moon. Industries located in ESA Member States are also developing new capabilities in orbital transportation, habitation, life support, robotics and in-orbit servicing, providing a strong foundation for future human spaceflight activities.

The two Pre-Phase A studies will build on these competences to investigate potential architectures for a European-led orbital outpost, including its infrastructure, supporting transportation and operational services. They will also identify the technologies, industrial capabilities, and partnerships required to support the development and sustainable operation of such an infrastructure.

The studies must be completed by June 2027. The press release made no mention of cost, but other reports suggest the eventual budget for the project would be “capped at €1 billion per three-year funding period, with development limited to two such periods.” Though the artist renderings of the proposed station (see graphic to the right) show a relatively simple single module design, two billion euros ($2.27 billion) over six years seems wholly insufficient. The American stations are being developed for far less, but they are privately built with mostly private investment capital, which forces them to be efficient. This ESA station would be funded entirely from government funds, and in such situations the costs are always far higher because there is no profit motive to force efficiencies.