Launch Is Just the Beginning... The World Is Already Competing in "Space Logistics"

Expanding Services from Orbit Change and Satellite Deployment
to Lunar Transfer and Lifespan Extension

The concept of the orbital transfer vehicle (OTV), which remains unfamiliar in South Korea, has already established itself as a next-generation space service in the United States and Europe. While launch vehicles have played the role of transporting satellites into space, OTVs are responsible for 'space logistics services,' moving satellites to their desired orbits or extending their operational lifespan.

In the United States, private companies have already entered the competition to commercialize orbital transfer vehicles. Impulse Space has deployed its small OTV, Mira, on an actual space mission, demonstrating its orbit change and satellite deployment technologies. Following this, the company is expanding its business scope by developing the next-generation OTV, Helios, which can deliver payloads from low Earth orbit to geostationary orbit (GEO) and even lunar transfer orbit.

The orbital transfer vehicle "ION" from the Italian space company D-Orbit. It is a space transportation platform that moves and deploys satellites separated from the launch vehicle to their target orbit, performing missions to insert multiple small satellites into different orbits. Provided by D-Orbit

Rocket Lab developed the spacecraft Photon, which performs the role of an orbital transfer vehicle, and succeeded in sending NASA's lunar probe CAPSTONE to lunar transfer orbit in 2022. This is a prime example that proves the company can go beyond simple launch services to execute deep space missions.

Northrop Grumman has expanded orbital transfer technology into the field of satellite maintenance and service. The Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) docks with satellites that have depleted their fuel, providing services that change their orbit or extend their lifespan, demonstrating that the space logistics market is expanding from mere "transportation" into the broader "space services" industry.

End-user services have already started in Europe as well. D-Orbit's orbital transfer vehicle ION offers a service that deploys multiple satellites, carried by a single launch vehicle, into different orbits as requested by clients. The company has already completed dozens of such missions to date.

The South Korean government is also pushing forward with a project to develop and demonstrate a "flight model of the orbital transfer vehicle" by 2029 with a total investment of 40 billion won. The selection process for research and development institutions is currently in progress, and the request for proposals (RFP) outlines key objectives such as deploying satellites into multiple orbits, carrying out lunar transfer orbit missions, and developing and demonstrating the flight model. Up until now, the Nuri rocket has transported satellites into space, but the government aims to secure technology that can move satellites to their final destinations using OTVs going forward. This initiative is interpreted as an effort to strengthen the competitiveness of launch services in the era of multiple satellites and lay the groundwork for future lunar transfer orbit missions.

Kang Hyunwoo, Program Manager for Space Science and Exploration Mission Design at the Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA), stated, "This project aims to broaden the application range of the Nuri rocket and secure space transportation capability. Ultimately, it will enhance the competitiveness of South Korea's space industry and become the foundation for carrying out diverse space missions."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.