A successful start for ESA’s In-Space Transportation Club

ESA is enabling the future: an ecosystem with a scalable, modular in-space transportation fleet based on optimised reusable launchers. In such an ecosystem, reusable space-tugs will dock to their payloads in parking orbits, deliver them to their orbital destination, and refuel with orbital propellant depots, allowing them to pursue their missions and providing in-orbit servicing for space transportation.

This is the vision of In-Space Proof-of-Concepts (InSPoC), a venture part of the ESA STS Future Launchers Preparatory Programme (FLPP), which aims to enable the orbital market. Through a series of open contests, the InSPoC initiative will identify the needed technologies and derisk space transportation capabilities, fostering standardised interfaces with successive in-orbit demonstrations.

In-Space Proof-of-Concepts is about “delivering the utmost value for the ecosystem”, explained InSPoC project manager Yann Tincelin, ‘and uniting and federating our forces for the benefit of pan-European space transportation’.

The Only Space Club You’ll Ever Need

On 21 February 2024, ESA’s In-Space Proof-of-Concepts (InSPoC) venture launched its first session of the In-Space Transportation Club: a new professional network of SpaceTech experts, technology providers, prime contractors and investors interested in shaping the future of European space transportation.

The In-Space Transportation Club offers a unique network to influence the future of European space transportation. Members can communicate their requirements and needs for in-space transportation technology developments, as well as guide the creation and standardisation of enabling interfaces and capabilities that meet these requirements. The Club cultivates a community of European SpaceTech stakeholders; linking SpaceTech members enables better development of space transportation technologies.

A resounding 220 members joined the club’s first session, which focused on the topic of in-orbit rendezvous and docking, a key capability for enabling reusable space-tugs, orbital propellant depots and in-orbit servicing.

The In-Space Transportation Club, which will hold regular sessions on various in-space transportation topics, is open to stakeholders in European space transportation who would like to join the space transportation community and contribute to the development of the Europe’s future orbital ecosystem.

Embark on the Next In-Space Proof-of-Concepts

The InSPoC venture continues to de-risk space transportation capabilities and foster a scalable, modular, and sustainable logistics ecosystem in orbit. The venture’s next steps were announced during a Pitch Day event hosted by the In-Space Transportation Club, kicking off InSPoC-2’s preparatory phase and InSPoC-3’s ideation phase on the 20 March.

The event, for and by the Club, brought together 150 SpaceTech stakeholders, one month after the Club’s launch. During this online event, ESA presented its vision on the upcoming In-Space Proof-of-Concepts. New ideas were pitched on InSPoC-2 for in-orbit refilling and InSPoC-3 on on-board and shared intelligence in space. This provided an overview of the primes’ roadmaps and the key technology provides skillsets, showcasing the European SpaceTech skillset which will enable the future of European space transportation.

In-Space Proof-of-Concept 1 (InSPoC-1): In-orbit Rendezvous & Docking

A call for information is now open on OSIP, ESA’s Open Space Innovation Platform, to gather feedback from SpaceTech on their in-orbit docking needs. It’s a unique opportunity to steer the development of the enabling capabilities on in-orbit rendezvous and docking to meet your needs and unleash your access to the orbital economy.

In this call, in-space transportation users (providers or customers) are invited to answer a questionnaire to describe their needs and requirements on in-orbit transportation, with a focus on their use-cases of in-orbit rendezvous and docking. These insights will be used to drive InSPoC-1 project to maximise its added-value for the ecosystem. Integrating these needs will support the development of the related off-the-shelf enabling elements, such as guidelines for safe rendezvous between spacecrafts and standardised interfaces for docking.

In-Space Proof-of-Concept 2 (InSPoC-2): In-Space Cryogenic Propellant Storage & In-Orbit Refilling

In-Space Proof-of-Concept 2 (InSPoC-2) is focusing on the second foundational capability to transform space transportation vehicles into reusable space-tugs: in-space cryogenic propellant storage and in-orbit refilling.

The introductory OSIP call for ideas on InSPoC-2 has received an incredible return across European SpaceTech players, with impressive, high-quality submissions from established companies, key enabling technology providers and start-up and scale-up companies.

The participants in this call for ideas were invited to pitch their value proposition and express their openness to partnerships during the Pitch Day event.

ESA has released an open competition Invitation To Tender for the InSPoC-2 Preparatory Phase on esa-star. In these studies, teams will analyse the in-orbit refilling ecosystem, and design corresponding concepts for InSPoC-2 in-orbit demonstrations.

In-Space Proof-of-Concept 3 (InSPoC-3): On-board and Shared Intelligence in Space

The objective of In-Space Proof-of-Concept 3 (InSPoC-3) will be to leverage advanced on-board and shared intelligence to bring the orbital economy to the next level. In the future in-space transportation ecosystem, space-tugs will remain and operate in space during several years, performing different missions over their lifecycle, and will be orchestrated as fleets of vehicles and cargo.

InSPoC-3 will leverage advanced on-board and shared intelligence for the future orbital economy, in which space tugs will remain and operate in space for several years. During their lifespan, the space-tugs will perform various missions and be orchestrated as cargo or vehicle fleets.

InSPoC-3 seeks to overcome the challenges for such vehicles, such as autonomy, longevity, “over-the-space” updates, advanced cooperation capabilities and space logistics orchestration. Advanced software technologies, as distributed computing, artificial intelligence, digital twins might be leveraged in this perspective.

The submitters to the introductory OSIP Call for Ideas on EI4ST – Embodied Intelligence for Space Transportation were invited to pitch their value proposition during the Pitch Day.

The Ideation Phase of InSPoC-3 will be launched in an open contest on esa-star in end of May, eliciting studies to examine the challenges of the future ecosystem and perform forward-looking studies to determine the technology needed to achieve this vision.

In-space transportation providers and technologies enablers looking to embark on our journey towards space logistics can look for our calls for ideas on OSIP, ESA’s Open Space Innovation Platform and our Invitations to Tenders on esa-star.

The next sessions of the In-space transportation Club will be announced on our website.