Tender: Mission Feasibility Studies for RPOD-Enabled Spacecraft Life Extension Demonstration – UK Space Agency

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The UK Space Agency is seeking suppliers for approximately three Phase 0/A mission feasibility studies under a Contracts for Innovation competition to develop and assess credible mission concepts for a potential in‑orbit demonstration of a Rendezvous, Proximity Operations and Docking (RPOD)-enabled spacecraft Life Extension service. The studies must analyse client and servicer concepts, launch, operations and ground-segment options, assess how each concept could demonstrate safe, reliable and repeatable RPOD with a cooperative or prepared client spacecraft to support commercially relevant Life Extension services (such as refuelling, AOCS takeover, relocation, component replacement, repair, upgrade or refurbishment), and identify the evidence, costs, risks, dependencies and decision points to inform any future demonstration procurement and associated business case. This procurement is for Research and Development services delivered as exempted contracts under the Procurement Act 2023. An optional in-person bidder Engagement Event covering this and the concurrent In-Orbit Manufacturing (IOM) Maturation R&D competition will be held on 6 November 2026 at the UK Space Agency Conference Centre, Harwell Campus (sessions 10:00–12:00 or 13:00–15:00); organisations must express interest by 15:00 UK time on 4 November 2026 by emailing [email protected] with the subject line “IOD Discovery Phase Engagement Event”, naming the requested session and proposed attendee contact (attendance normally limited to one representative; request a second when registering; confirmation by 15:00 UK time on 5 November 2026).