The European Space Agency presented its annual awards for excellence and innovation to three space companies on 16 September at Industry Space Days 2026, held at ESA–ESTEC in the Netherlands, according to a source published on 17 September.

Surrey Satellite Technology Limited, based in the UK, received the Excellence Award as prime contractor for delivering two HydroGNSS satellites for ESA's first Earth Observation Scout mission, part of the FutureEO programme. ESA said the company kept to a demanding schedule after a late change in launch service and addressed issues identified before shipment. Sener, based in Spain, received the Excellence Award as a subcontractor for technical performance and support to the MetOp Second Generation programme, developed with EUMETSAT.

CompPair Technologies, based in Switzerland, won ESA's Innovation Award for a self-healing composite material with potential relevance to reusable launch systems and future missions. Embedded sensors and a distributed heating system monitor structural health; when damage is detected, 3D-printed aluminium grids heat the affected area, triggering the healing agent. The awards were presented by ESA's Christine Klein and Dietmar Pilz. Each awarded company has been offered a keynote speech and pitch at the ESA booth at Space Tech Expo Europe 2026, planned for 17–19 November in Bremen, Germany.