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.