ESA Open Invitation to Tender: 1-11115
Open Date: 15/12/2021 14:01 CEST
Closing Date: 07/03/2022 13:00 CEST

The increased interest in lunar exploration within European as well as globally has led to the specification of an international lunar exploration architecture as documented in the Global Exploration Roadmap. The Roadmap documents the consensus of the member agencies of the International Space Exploration Coordination Group. The value of the Roadmap is the identification of well-coordinated potential roles for the space agencies within the architecture. The Roadmap calls for the first NASA-led phase of returning humans tothe lunar surface for the first time since the 1970s in the mid 2020. After that, a second phase has the objectives to expand surface capabilities (phase 2A) and then prepare the sustainable presence of humans on the lunar surface (phase 2B). It is in phase 2A when the opportunity to provide electrical power to the architecture arises. The Novel Lunar Surface Power Plant – European Charging Station for the Moon (ECSM) has the objective to fill this partnership opportunity with a European solution. The ECSM is planned to leverage the proposed European Large Logistic Lander (EL3) as its means of transportation of the surface. Equally, ECSM represents a potential utilisation scenario for EL3. A solution for ECSM in the frame of an Ariane 6 and EL3 based architecture has been successfully studied in the CDF in the second quarter of 2021. The proposed pre-phase A of the ECSM payload has the objective to advance thefeasibility and specification of initial requirements for a potential European role in the provision of power to international partners or ESA missions. The CDF study has found two convincing utilisation cases in the frame of the international human lunar exploration architecture: an enabler for lunar surface in-situ science and the provision of stored power (candidate technologies are secondary batteries or regenerative fuel cells) during the lunar night period. The ECSM payload is required to advance from the current concept (TRL2) to the analytical proof-of-concept level (TRL3). This advancement will allow ESA to present ECSM as a credible potential payloadfor EL3 in the proposal for the next period of the Exploration Envelope Programme.The procurement will be open competitionto all industrial entities, ensuring an open competitive approach preparing further steps. Parallel contracts are foreseen in case of competitive complementary proposals. Furthermore, the participation of SME’s will be encouraged.

Directorate: Directorate of Tech, Eng. Quality
Estabilishment: ESTEC
ECOS Required: No
Classified: No
Price Range: 200-500 KEURO
Authorised Contact Person: Miguel Yagues Palazon
Initiating Service: TEC-SF
IP Measure: N/A
Prog. Reference: E/0600-05 – Preparation Element
Tender Type: Open Competition
Open To Tenderers From: AT+BE+CA+CH+CZ+DE+DK+EE+EL+ES+FI+FR+GB+HU+IE+IT+LT+LU+LV+NL+NO+PL+PT+RO+SE+SI
Technology Keywords: 26-OTHERS
Products Keywords: 2-P-Other