The draft design was amended to a STOL 40-44 passenger jet with overwing engines, for easier operation from unprepared runways.
The collaborative production arrangements involved Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) in Germany, Fokker VFW in the Netherlands and SABCA and Avions Fairey in Belgium.
The European Space Agency ESA in June 1974 named a consortium headed by ERNO-VFW Fokker (Zentralgesellschaft VFW-Fokker GmbH) to build pressurized modules called Spacelab.
The ERNO plant in Bremen continued as the headquarters for Spacelab design, production management, component testing, and assembly.
The Bremen team of the new MBB-ERNO prepared the first COLUMBUS proposal as Prime Contractor based on the experiences gained on Spacelab.