The contract signing took place at the 17th European Space Conference in Brussels, Belgium, and is part of the In-Orbit Demonstration and Validation (IOD/IOV) programme managed by ESA on behalf of the European Commission. The contracts were awarded to Aerospacelab, Berlin Space Technologies, D-Orbit, ISISPACE, LuxSpace and Open Cosmos.
The IOD/IOV programme ensures that innovative technologies can be effectively tested in space, reducing the time it would otherwise take to bring them to market. By offering a boost for space tech innovators, the programme increases the competitiveness of the European space sector.