Moving technology from ’lab to launch’
ESA safeguards Europe's guaranteed access to space through its Future Launchers Preparatory Programme, FLPP. FLPP weighs up the opportunities and risks of different launch vehicle concepts and associated technologies. Its demonstrators and studies hone emerging technologies to give Europe's rocket builders a valuable head-start as they begin the demanding work of turning the chosen design into reality. From lab to launch. Based on a standardised scale of "Technology Readiness Levels" or TRL, technologies that have been demonstrated in a laboratory environment at Level 3, are further developed within FLPP and tested via integrated demonstrators to raise them to TRL 6. Once a technology has reached level 6, much of the risk linked to using a new technology in a space environment has been mitigated. It can be quickly transferred to a development up to flight (TRL 9) with optimised cost and schedule.
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