In-Orbit Servicing Market Seen Reaching $3 Billion Over Next Decade
Satellite Refueling Projected to Lead a Still-Maturing Sector, New Forecast Says
Satellites that refuel, repair or extend the working life of other satellites in orbit are projected to generate roughly $3 billion in cumulative revenue over the next 10 years, according to a market forecast released Monday.
“Growing congestion, competition, and uncertainty in space are pushing satellite operators to seek greater operational resilience and flexibility.”
Gabriel Deville, Novaspace
The projection comes from Novaspace, a Paris-based space industry research and consulting firm, in a report titled “In-Orbit Services Markets.” The report attributes early demand for such services to government and defense agencies, which the firm says are moving to make satellite refueling a standing military capability.
The market’s growth remains uneven, the report found, with the technology spanning a wide range of readiness.
“Growing congestion, competition, and uncertainty in space are pushing satellite operators to seek greater operational resilience and flexibility,” said Gabriel Deville, a manager at Novaspace. “The sector is developing in-orbit services to address these challenges, but the market remains at varying levels of maturity, ranging from concepts to early commercial operations.”
Satellite refueling is expected to be the largest segment of the market, representing a $1.2 billion opportunity over the decade, according to the report. Life-extension services delivered through docking hardware attached to a client satellite — a method the report calls “backpacking” — are projected to generate an estimated $860 million over the same period.
Novaspace said the report is based on a market model spanning more than 10 years and sizes demand by both the number of missions flown and their dollar value.