EU €1.07B in 57 EDF projects, Rosalind Franklin to fly on Falcon Heavy
The European Commission announced €1.07B for 57 collaborative defence projects under the 2025 EDF call on 15 April, supporting the Drone Defence Initiative, Eastern Flank Watch, Air Shield, and Space Shield flagships. NASA selected SpaceX's Falcon Heavy on 17 April to launch ESA's Rosalind Franklin Mars rover NET late 2028, confirming Europe's continued dependence on US heavy-lift for flagship deep-space missions.
Commission invests €1.07B in 57 EDF projects, flagship structure dominates
The European Commission announced on 15 April that it will invest €1.07 billion in 57 new European Defence Fund projects, the result of the 2025 EDF call. The allocation splits €675M across 32 capability development projects and €332M across 25 research projects, supporting the Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030's four flagships: the Drone Defence Initiative, Eastern Flank Watch, European Air Shield, and European Space Shield. SMEs make up over 38% of participants and capture more than 21% of the funding, including €60K integration sub-call grants for startups joining flagship consortia. For founders building counter-UAS, layered air defence, or space-domain awareness products, the EDF flagship structure is now the dominant procurement gravitational well in European defence; consortium positioning over the next 6 months will determine eligibility for follow-on calls.
Technology
NASA selects Falcon Heavy for ESA's Rosalind Franklin, Europe still dependent on US heavy-lift
NASA confirmed on 17 April that SpaceX will provide the Falcon Heavy launch vehicle for ESA's Rosalind Franklin Mars rover, with launch no earlier than late 2028. The selection follows the unwinding of the original Russian launch arrangement and ESA's decision not to wait for a domestic European heavy-lift option. For European launch ventures and ESA programme observers, the practical signal is that even ESA's flagship deep-space science missions are now being manifested on US launch capacity, and the Ariane 6 manifest, currently constrained by Galileo and IRIS² commitments, will not absorb additional ESA-class deep-space missions through the late 2020s. The €280M dual-use launch line item in the 2026 supplementary budget is meant to address exactly this dependency, but capacity will not be online before 2029.
Source: NASA selects Falcon Heavy to launch ESA's Rosalind Franklin Mars rover, NASA
Previous issues
14 April 2026
ESA-Canada GSOIA signed, Isar Aerospace Spectrum scrub, Kelluu €15M NATO-led Series A
ESA and Canada signed a General Security of Information Agreement on 14 April, establishing a framework for classified-information exchange in dual-use technology. Isar Aerospace scrubbed its second Spectrum launch on 9 April after detecting a leak in a composite overwrapped pressure vessel. Finnish autonomous-airship startup Kelluu raised a €15M Series A led by the NATO Innovation Fund, the fund's first investment in Finland.
7 April 2026
EC proposes EU Space Services Agency, Sweden's €780M C-UAS contract, AGILE plan unveiled
The European Commission proposed a regulation transforming EUSPA into a permanent European Union Space Services Agency for 2028–2034. Sweden signed air defence contracts worth SEK 8.7B (≈€780M) on 2 April for its Gute II C-UAS concept. The Commission also unveiled the AGILE plan, a future-warfare programme focused on AI, autonomous drones, and quantum.
31 March 2026
ESA-EDA dual-use EO arrangement, EDIP work programme adopted, Airbus Bird of Prey first interception
ESA and the European Defence Agency signed an Implementing Arrangement to jointly identify gaps in Europe's Earth observation capabilities. The European Commission adopted the €1.467B EDIP work programme on 30 March, with first calls going live on the EU Funding & Tenders portal on 31 March. Airbus's uncrewed Bird of Prey interceptor completed a first demonstration flight, autonomously detecting and engaging a one-way attack drone.