The European Space Agency (ESA) has taken a significant step by canceling its recent invitation for proposals aimed at securing commercial cargo services to the International Space Station (ISS). This initiative was designed to help ESA fulfill its responsibilities under the Common System Operations Costs (CSOC) framework, which establishes the collaborative obligations of ISS partners to maintain the station, including transporting crew and cargo.
Historically, ESA has met its CSOC commitments through the use of the Automated Transfer Vehicle, which facilitated cargo delivery to the ISS. More recently, the agency has taken on the role of providing European Service Modules for NASA's Orion spacecraft, further supporting its obligations. In order to ensure that Europe maintains a presence on the ISS up until its scheduled decommissioning in 2030, ESA is contemplating alternative in-kind contributions once again.
On October 3, ESA initially announced a call for proposals under its 3CPO (CSOC Cargo Commercially Procured Offset) initiative. This initiative sought to procure commercial transportation services capable of delivering between 4,900 and 5,000 kilograms of pressurized cargo to the orbiting laboratory. The mission was positioned as a strategic measure to secure flight opportunities for ESA astronauts. However, it was clearly noted that the advancement of this procurement was contingent upon funding approval from member states during the agency's Ministerial Council meeting on November 26 and 27, 2025.
After the meeting at the end of November, ESA reported that member states had "agreed to implement short-term actions to guarantee access for European astronauts to the International Space Station until its planned decommissioning in 2030." Although this seemed to suggest a positive outcome for the 3CPO initiative, the agency ultimately announced the cancellation of the call on December 17, citing "the implementation of programmatic adjustments." While the details behind this decision were not extensively elaborated upon, some insights were shared during a press briefing following the 342nd ESA Council meeting on December 17 and 18.
During this briefing, Director of Human and Robotic Exploration, Daniel Neuenschwander, responded to inquiries regarding a delay in ESA astronaut Raphaël Liégeois’s upcoming flight to the ISS. Initially slated for a mission in 2026, Neuenschwander could not confirm a new timeline for this flight.
"He will fly in a timeframe which will be clearly before the next Ministerial Council," Neuenschwander stated. The next ESA Ministerial Council meeting is anticipated to occur in late 2028, suggesting that Liégeois’s opportunity to travel may face a postponement of up to two years.
Neuenschwander attributed the delay to ongoing deliberations concerning the agency's "transportation manifest," indicating that there are currently two potential options being considered. Nevertheless, he assured that the decisions and funding commitments established during the 2025 Ministerial Council meeting in Bremen would adequately cover the agency’s CSOC obligations related to Liégeois’s flight.
