Antwerp Space is contributing to the ESA's LISA mission to measure gravitational waves in space

Antwerp, Belgium – September 17, 2026 – Antwerp Space, part of OHB Group, announces the start of activities on the on-board Radio Frequency Subsystem (RFS) for the three spacecrafts of the European Space Agency’s Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission, following contract signature with Thales Alenia Space in Italy.

The contract marks an important milestone for Antwerp Space’s contribution to one of Europe’s most ambitious scientific space missions.

LISA will be the first space-based observatory dedicated to studying gravitational waves – ripples in the fabric of space-time emitted during some of the most powerful events in the Universe, including the merger of massive black holes. The mission will consist of three spacecraft flying in a triangular formation, with the same orbit around the Sun as the Earth but about 50 million kilometres away, and with 2.5 million kilometres between each spacecraft. LISA will open a new window onto the gravitational Universe.

Antwerp Space will be responsible for the on-board Radio Frequency communication and ranging subsystem on all 3 spacecrafts, contributing its long-standing expertise in advanced space communications and RF subsystem engineering. The scope includes the detailed engineering and development of the subsystem, as well as the coordination and management of specialised European equipment suppliers.

The collaboration is the result of several months of intensive technical, programmatic and contractual collaboration between the participating organisations. This project demonstrates Europe working together on a mission larger than any single company or country.

“The start of the LISA Radio Frequency Subsystem programme is an important milestone for Antwerp Space”, says Koen Puimège, Managing Director of Antwerp Space. “LISA is one of Europe’s most ambitious and exciting scientific missions, and we are proud to contribute our expertise in space-borne radio-frequency systems to this groundbreaking endeavour. We would like to thank our partners for the constructive cooperation throughout the preparation phase. We look forward to continuing this close collaboration as the programme moves into execution.”

The programme will be carried out in close cooperation with Thales Alenia Space, which provides mission-critical elements regarding both the spacecraft and the payload, OHB System AG as industrial prime of ESA’s LISA mission and a network of specialised European industrial partners, bringing together complementary expertise from across Europe to support the development of this pioneering scientific mission.