The European Space Agency (ESA) has announced a significant funding initiative to support four emerging launch vehicle startups.
The funding, totaling 44.22 million euros, will be provided through ESA's "Boost!" program.
Isar Aerospace will receive 15 million euros for testing its Spectrum small launch vehicle.
Orbex has been awarded 5.6 million euros for the integrated testing of its Orbex Prime launch vehicle.
HyImpulse will utilize its 11.8 million euros to advance the development of its SL1 orbital launch vehicle.
RFA will also receive 11.8 million euros to complete a new first stage and conduct necessary testing.
The additional funding comes at a time when European stakeholders are concerned about the continent's access to space and the growing reliance on SpaceX's Falcon 9.
Stella Guillen, chief commercial officer of Isar Aerospace, and Phil Chambers, CEO of Orbex, have both emphasized the need for Europe to rethink its approach to space access and invest in developing sovereign launch capabilities.