ESA Selects Prime Contractor for MORPH Mission
D-Orbit to Lead Satellite Refurbishment Demonstration
ESA has selected space logistics and orbital transportation company D-Orbit as prime contractor for MORPH (Modular On-Orbit Refurbishment for Permanent Hardware), which could become Europe’s first mission architecture capable of demonstrating satellite refurbishment directly in orbit.
“With MORPH, we are exploring a different model: one in which satellites become long-lived infrastructure.”
Diego Garcés de Marcilla, D-Orbit
D-Orbit announced the contract at SATShow 2026 in Washington, D.C., where the company is participating as part of the Italian Pavilion, organized by the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) in collaboration with the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The initiative, led by ESA, represents a key step toward enabling a circular economy in space, where satellites can be repaired, upgraded, and reused instead of replaced.
“For decades, satellites have been designed as single-use assets, replaced once their fuel or hardware reached its limits,” said Diego Garcés de Marcilla, Director of the In Orbit Servicing Business Unit. “With MORPH, we are exploring a different model: one in which satellites become long-lived infrastructure that can be repaired, upgraded, and adapted directly in orbit. This capability is essential to building a sustainable space economy and ensuring that orbital space remains a usable resource for future generations.”
The activity builds on a Phase 0 study already completed and has now progressed to Phase A.
MORPH builds on the technological heritage of RISE, D-Orbit’s first in orbit servicing mission, launching in 2029, expanding the concept toward a next-generation platform designed to support in-orbit refurbishment operations. While RISE focuses on extending satellite lifetimes through servicing capabilities, MORPH explores the architecture required to enable a broader range of future services, including potential upgrades such as refueling or in-orbit assembly. The study therefore represents an important step in D-Orbit’s roadmap toward operational in-orbit servicing missions in geostationary orbit (GEO), where many of the world’s highest-value satellite assets operate.
During the eight-month Phase A study, D-Orbit and its consortium partners will develop a validated mission concept for an on-orbit refurbishment demonstration, including the preliminary system architecture, operational scenario, and identification of the key technologies required to enable refurbishment operations. The activity will also define a development roadmap for critical technologies, with the objective of reaching TRL6 maturity ahead of a future demonstration mission.
On-orbit refurbishment represents a significant evolution in how space infrastructure is designed and operated. By enabling satellites to be repaired, upgraded, or reconfigured directly in orbit, refurbishment services could dramatically reduce the need to manufacture and launch replacement spacecraft, while ensuring continuity of service for satellite operators. This approach aligns with ESA’s ambition to achieve a debris-neutral European space sector by 2030, while supporting a more sustainable and economically efficient use of orbital resources.
“ESA is committed to improving the sustainability of its missions and the overall European space sector. We see on-orbit refurbishment as a critical next step, helping to enable ESA’s vision of a Circular Economy by 2040 while also promoting the competitiveness of European industry in this emerging field,” said Ross Findlay, Technical Officer of the contract and Head of Sustainable Engineering at ESA.
The MORPH mission concept is based on D-Orbit’s GEA spacecraft, a servicing vehicle designed from the outset to support in-orbit servicing operations. Within the MORPH study, the platform will be enhanced with modular payload accommodation and robotic interfaces, building on technologies developed for the RISE mission and enabling the manipulation and refurbishment of spacecraft components in orbit. The study will identify the design upgrades necessary to support refurbishment operations, particularly in geostationary orbit, where long-lived satellites provide critical communications and infrastructure services.
By advancing the concept of on-orbit refurbishment, MORPH contributes to strengthening Europe’s industrial capabilities in autonomous in-orbit servicing technologies, from mission design to future flight demonstrations. The initiative supports Europe’s broader strategy to maintain technological leadership and competitiveness in the rapidly evolving market for GEO satellite services and sustainable space operations.