European OTVs Index

Orbital transfer vehicles (OTVs) or space tugs are, at their most basic, used to transport payloads from a launch vehicle separation to a final orbit. This, however, can be expanded upon to include changes in orbit, life extension, orbital refueling and servicing, decommissioning and debris reduction, and several other functions.

There are several European orbital transfer vehicles currently under development. This includes launch startups that are developing multi-role upper stage or kick stages like Rocket Factory Augsburg, Dark and Skyrora and space logistics companies that are primarily focused on developing orbital transfer vehicles like Exotrail, Lúnasa Space, porkchop, UARX Space, and D-Orbit. There are also companies developing these vehicles specifically for orbital debris removal like ClearSpace.

As the demand for precise orbital insertions after deployment from large rideshare missions and the need for orbital debris removal increases, demand for these vehicles will inevitably increase with those demands. These European companies should be in a good position to cater to their needs carving out a share of the market for the continent.