The European space industry is being pushed toward a new era of mass production as the European Space Agency launches its ambitious INDustrialisation and Serialisation Support Campaign. The initiative is designed to help European companies shift away from bespoke, one-off spacecraft toward faster, cheaper and scalable manufacturing models that can compete globally.
At the heart of the campaign is a strategic drive to expand Europe’s industrial capacity, modernise supply chains and attract private investment into space manufacturing infrastructure. ESA says this transition is essential if Europe is to maintain strategic autonomy while meeting surging demand for satellites, launch systems and ground technologies.
The campaign brings together two closely linked initiatives: SMART-IND! and M-IND. Together, they aim to transform how space hardware is designed, built and delivered across the continent.
A Push For Serial Production
SMART-IND! focuses on the foundations of industrial scale-up. Its goal is to remove bottlenecks in manufacturing, assembly, integration and testing by promoting automation, standardised processes and resilient European supply chains. ESA wants industry to adopt advanced tools such as robotics, digital twins and model-based systems engineering to dramatically shorten production cycles and improve reliability.
A key part of the plan is encouraging just-in-time manufacturing and closer coordination between integrators, suppliers and testing facilities. ESA also plans to prioritise process-based qualification over product-by-product approval, helping companies move more quickly from prototype to serial production.
Mid-Size Satellites Take Centre Stage
Running in parallel, the M-IND initiative targets mid-size low Earth orbit satellites weighing between 100 and 500 kilograms. These spacecraft are seen as critical for secure communications, resilient navigation and high-revisit Earth observation.
M-IND aims to standardise interfaces, modularise payloads and enable interchangeable components so that satellites can be produced in constellation-class volumes. ESA expects this approach to reduce costs, shorten lead times and strengthen Europe’s non-dependence on non-European suppliers.
High-priority areas include avionics, power systems, communications, electric propulsion and payload modules, with a particular emphasis on components where Europe currently lacks sufficient production capacity.
From Ideas To Investment
The campaign begins with an open call for ideas via ESA’s Open Space Innovation Platform, followed by pitch events where companies can present concepts to ESA experts and investors. Selected ideas may then progress to full funding calls under ESA programmes such as GSTP, ARTES and NAVISP.
ESA’s long-term targets are bold: cutting spacecraft development time by up to 90%, achieving tenfold cost efficiency gains, and ensuring Europe contributes zero space debris by 2030. If successful, the campaign could mark a decisive shift in how Europe builds its future in space.
Published by Kerry Harrison
Kerry’s been writing professionally for over 14 years, after graduating with a First Class Honours Degree in Multimedia Journalism from Canterbury Christ Church University. She joined Orbital Today in 2022. She covers everything from UK launch updates to how the wider space ecosystem is evolving. She enjoys digging into the detail and explaining complex topics in a way that feels straightforward. Before writing about space, Kerry spent years working with cybersecurity companies. She’s written a lot about threat intelligence, data protection, and how cyber and space are increasingly overlapping, whether that’s satellite security or national defence. With a strong background in tech writing, she’s used to making tricky, technical subjects more approachable. That mix of innovation, complexity, and real-world impact is what keeps her interested in the space sector.