Space cargo delivery gets a financing boost: Aerospace company Thales Alenia Space has inked a two year EUR 25 mn agreement with the European Space Agency (ESA) to demonstrate cargo delivery to and from space stations in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO), according to a press release. The contract will cover the activities of phase one of this two phase project.

What will happen: The company will work on the initial development of the spacecraft and drum up additional financing through investors, the statement notes

More to come: Phase two will involve further development work on the spacecraft and the execution of a demo mission to deliver pressurized cargo to the International Space Station and return cargo back to Earth, the statement notes. The completion of phase two is slated for the end of 2028.

More LEO contracts signed: The European Space Company has also signed an agreement with French-German space outlet The Exploration Company to develop a LEO cargo return service, according to a separate statement. The vehicle — dubbed Nyx — will handle a capacity of 4k tons of cargo from earth to space and 3k tons from space to earth.

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