Future Launchers Preparatory Programme

The Future Launcher Preparatory Programme (FLPP) is a European Space Agency (ESA) programme that aims to mature technology for a "Next Generation Launcher" as a successor to the Ariane 5 rocket. The programme began in February 2004, and the NGL is foreseen to become operational around the year 2025. A secondary aim of the FLPP is to enhance the reliability and competitiveness of ESA launchers, including those operational as of 2012. The technologies under development may lead to both improved evolutions of the Ariane 5 and to the development of the next generation launcher, the Ariane 6.

Purpose

The FLPP is expected to harmonise European launcher technology development activities and steer the restructuring of the European launcher industrial sector, optimizing the use of available resources, and leading to more cost-effective launchers.

ESA was founded around a couple of purposes, one of them was safeguarding the independent access to space for Europe. The development of technologies used on the Ariane 5 started already in 1977, while the first launch occurred in 1999.