When the Canadian government committed $664.6 million CAD (€407.71 million) to the European Space Agency (ESA) at the November 2025 Ministerial Council, it opened new pathways for greater involvement in ESA programs.
Of the $574 million CAD (€352.5 million) directed toward ESA’s optional programs, $122.3 million CAD (€75 million) was specifically carved out for Space Exploration. This earmark directly funds Canada’s participation in the European Exploration Envelope Programme (E3P).
Under ESA’s strict “geo-return” policy—which ensures that the value of contracts awarded to a member or cooperating state is roughly equivalent to its financial contribution—Canadian organization are now assured access to E3P contracts.
Just over six months later, that funding has translated into two new opportunities. Last week, ESA released two calls targeting lunar exploration, and because of the November investment, Canadian companies and academic institutions are eligible to bid depending on the opportunity.
Here is what you need to know about the requirements for both opportunities.
Opportunity 1: Commercial Lunar Data Products (RFI)
Released on June 12, 2026, this Request for Information (RFI) signals a shift in ESA’s approach to exploration science. Rather than flying dedicated scientific payloads for every mission, ESA is actively looking to procure lunar data products from commercial providers to support their exploration-focused science goals.
For Canadian companies with expertise in communications, Earth observation, or remote sensing, this is an opportunity to monetize existing or planned data pipelines.
Key RFI Requirements:
ESA is assessing the commercial market’s readiness. Submissions must clearly outline:
- Data Description: Detailed specifications including formats, expected data volumes, and stringent data quality parameters (resolution, uncertainty, sensitivity range, wavelength, and spatial coverage).
- Standardization: Datasets must demonstrate compliance with the PDS4 (Planetary Data System) format.
- Scientific Justification: Providers must articulate the proposed data product’s relevance and added value to ESA’s specific exploration science objectives.
- Data Availability: Clear timelines regarding the period of acquisition, release schedules, licencing structures, and ownership rights.
Deadline: Submissions are due September 14, 2026.
Opportunity 2: Lunar Science Building Blocks (AO)
Issued on June 10, 2026, this Announcement of Opportunity (AO) is about hardware. ESA is seeking to establish a pipeline of “science building blocks”—individual scientific instruments or integrated instrument suites—that can be matured and assembled for future orbital and surface lunar exploration missions.
This AO is requires a mature blend of science and engineering. Selected proposals will be entered into ESA’s technical database for integration into upcoming flight opportunities.
ESA mandates that proposing teams ideally include both scientific and technical expertise, making joint industry-academic partnerships the preferred vehicle for submissions. Under this model, Canadian university researchers can act as Principal Investigators (PIs) to drive the scientific goals and data management, while domestic space firms handle the flight-ready engineering and manufacturing.
Key AO Requirements:
Proposals will be subjected to rigorous peer and technical reviews. Teams must demonstrate:
- Dual Expertise: Proposing teams must inherently possess both scientific and technical expertise, covering instrument technical development, product assurance, science performance calibration, and data management.
- Flight Viability: Instruments must be technically implementable for lunar flight (either orbital or landed).
- Demonstrated Maturity: Proposals will be heavily weighted on the provision of hard evidence demonstrating measurement performance viability. This includes providing outcomes from physical breadboard tests, rigorous simulations, or advanced models.
- Scoring: To be categorized as a lunar science building block, proposals must achieve an overall scientific merit score of “Excellent” (81/100 or higher) and score at least “Very Good” on every individual sub-criterion.
Deadlines:
- Mandatory Letter of Intent (LOI) due July 13, 2026.
- Full proposal submission due September 4, 2026.