Phys.org June 7, 2019
ESA safeguards Europe’s guaranteed access to space through its Future Launchers Preparatory Programme (FLPP) which weighs up the opportunities and risks of different launch vehicle concepts and associated technologies and defines the concepts and requirements for new space transportation systems and services. Its demonstrators and studies hone emerging technologies to give Europe’s rocket builders a valuable head-start as they begin the demanding work of turning the chosen design into reality. Technologies are selected on their potential to reduce cost, improve performance, improve reliability, or on their ability to fulfil the specific needs of an identified system, demonstrator or mission. Based on a standardized scale of TRL, technologies that have been demonstrated in a laboratory environment at Level 3, are further developed within FLPP and tested via integrated demonstrators to raise them to TRL 6…read more.
Technology Readiness Levels. Credit: European Space Agency