“We are enabling the in-space logistics infrastructure for the orbital economy and keeping Europe in the driving seat” said Yann Tincelin, Programme Manager for InSPoC (In-Space Proof of Concepts) as he opened the recent ‘InSPoC Cross-Cutting Convergence Workshop’ in Paris. His words capture the driving force behind the European Space Agency’s approach to shaping Europe’s in-space transportation ecosystem: sustained coordination across SpaceTech stakeholders.
Since the launch of the Preparation Phase for InSPoC-1 (enabling in-orbit rendezvous, docking and non-cryogenic refilling) in 2022, multiple projects have been signed and completed across various elements and phases, including the InSPoC-1 Preparation and Definition phases, InSPoC-2 (in-orbit cryogenic propellant storage and refilling) Preparation phases and InSPoC-3 (on-board and shared intelligence) Ideation phases. Building on these successes, the first OSIP Call for Ideas for InSPoC-4 (space cargo and advanced in-space logistics) is now open.
These building blocks will first be integrated into Orbital Transfer Vehicles (OTVs) to extend their in-space capabilities and, in the future, into Odyssey, ESA’s flagship programme for in-orbit refilling. Rapidly shifting geopolitics and global competition are increasing the urgency for Europe to develop such capabilities and to develop them fast, something reflected in the collaboration beyond ESA as the Agency aligns with the European Commission around mission commonalities and complementarity.
In late October 2025, the InSPoC Cross-Cutting Convergence Workshop brought around 30 key companies to Paris for tow days of intensive work on consolidating InSPoC enabling interfaces for in-space logistics and Odyssey’s commercial foundation. Six weeks later, the In-Space Transportation Club convened its fourth session online, with European SpaceTech stakeholders aligning on key capabilities and interoperability approaches to interact and act in safe within a coordinated ecosystem. Both packed events reflect growing industry commitment to Europe’s in-space ambitions.
Cooperate on the ecosystem, compete on the service
Interoperability was central to both events. The In-Space Transportation Club exists specifically to gather European SpaceTech stakeholders – in-space logistics integrators & operators, enabling technology providers, customers, investors, Member States, and national space agencies – to coordinate on the shared infrastructure while competing on the services built atop it.
Strategically for Europe, there is no ‘winner takes all’ philosophy for the ISAM (In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing) ecosystem; rather, it is a collaboration providing interoperable unbundled services on an open market, offering dual-use civil and defence capabilities. Ensuring that docking, refilling, intelligence and logistics capabilities use open standard, non-proprietary interfaces allows multiple European players to access the market rather than creating fragmentation. InSPoC focuses on the ground derisking and demonstrating in-orbit the enabling interfaces for an in-space logistics ecosystem. These interoperable interfaces will allow to spacecraft from different manufacturers to interact together, allowing servicers to dock, refill, and transport their targets in space.
Preparing the market
The October workshop placed equal emphasis on commercial and technological development. Companies delivered elevator pitches across InSPoC-1, -2 and -3, alongside industry working on complementary FLPP maturation projects.
These ranged from maturation of in-space cryogenic engines to in-space transportation vehicles, further enriching the dialogue and reinforcing the coherence across parallel developments. The opportunity to share successes demonstrated how cross-nation collaboration and consortia were working together with a common goal: to develop the building blocks and enabling interfaces for enabling the capabilities to act in space, with rendezvous, docking, refilling, transportation and intelligence in space.
A group of ESA cross-directorate experts took the InSPoC and Odyssey participants through a series of exercises, encouraging collaboration in order to shape four value propositions for the in-orbit refilling services proposed by Odyssey, namely:
- Distributed in-orbit refilling for dual-use applications in Earth vicinity
- Distributed in-orbit refilling for the orbital economy in Earth vicinity
- Retrofitted upper-stage for large refilling supply
- Centralised orbital propellant depot for exploration
Philip Thomas, Head of ESA’s ScaleUp Division, underlined what’s at stake: “We are entering a new space paradigm which will open up the in-orbit market. Odyssey is critical to secure the future of European space competitiveness.”
The December Club session maintained this commercial focus, bringing potential Primes and Tier-1 suppliers together to pitch for Odyssey’s Call for Ideas and in preparation of the upcoming Odyssey Invitation to Tender. The session addressed the practical requirements: rendezvous and GNC interfaces, docking and refilling interfaces, cryogenic propellant management, on-board and shared intelligence, and advanced in-space logistics. Companies are now delivering these once-theoretical capabilities.
Racing against the clock
ESA provides a unique framework for this progress, helping industry mitigate risk and move forward quickly as other nations and commercial players are moving fast to establish standards and capture market share in the emerging orbital economy. Europe’s approach – building interoperable, open-standard capabilities that enable multiple players rather than creating proprietary systems – offers a strategic alternative, but only if executed with speed.
“We need to be creating and shaping this market,” continued Philip Thomas, “the window of opportunity is small and requires Europe to act at pace with sufficient scale. Defining and targeting future market opportunities shaped by InSPoC has a vital role to play in this.”
The workshop and the Club demonstrate ESA’s role in Europe’s space transportation ecosystem, providing the framework for technology sharing and industry alignment. As InSPoC continues to move forward, this coordination demonstrates that Europe is meeting the future today.