May 2025

How autonomous space tugs are shaping large-scale infrastructure in orbit The Big Build Challenge in Space Launching massive structures fully assembled is costly—and often impossible. Today’s space stations and satellites are size-limited by what rockets can carry. That’s a problem for future projects like: These systems must be built in orbit, not launched fully formed. […]

Linking the Moon’s surface to orbit and Earth through cislunar logistics The Challenge of Supporting a Lunar Base Landing on the Moon is hard. Supporting people and payloads there is harder. Establishing a lunar base requires more than a landing site and modules. It demands a constant flow of supplies, equipment, fuel, and return cargo.

How space tugs are creating the connective tissue of the orbital marketplace The Problem: Static Orbits, Limited Services Today’s space assets are stranded once deployed. Satellites are launched into orbit with fixed positions, limited fuel, and no easy way to be upgraded, moved, or repaired. As the orbital population grows, this static architecture becomes a

How robotic tugs will link resource-rich moons and asteroids to orbital industry The Mining Opportunity in Space Lunar regolith and asteroid metals are the next frontier in resource extraction. The Moon offers water ice and useful metals. Near-Earth asteroids contain rare-earth elements, platinum-group metals, and industrial feedstocks. But accessing these materials is only half the

A strategic breakdown of orbit movers and their evolving roles The Central Question When you need to move cargo or adjust orbits, what’s better: another launch or a space tug? As the space economy grows, so do the demands on how we deliver, reposition, and sustain assets in orbit. For decades, rockets were the only

How space tugs are building the refueling layer for orbital logistics Why Fuel Distribution in Space Matters Orbital operations depend on mobility, and mobility depends on fuel. Today, once a satellite or spacecraft runs out of fuel, its operational life effectively ends—even if all systems are intact. Meanwhile, the increasing complexity of space missions demands

How space tugs are rewriting the lifecycle of satellites The Problem: Satellites Die Too Soon Thousands of satellites are stranded in orbit—still functional but out of fuel or stuck in the wrong orbit. Traditionally, once a satellite runs out of fuel or completes its mission, it becomes space junk. Even when their hardware still works,

Understanding the tech behind the new workhorses of space What Are Space Tugs? Space tugs are autonomous vehicles that move other spacecraft around in orbit. Think of them as orbital tow trucks. Their primary mission: relocate satellites, clean up space debris, and service aging spacecraft. Unlike rockets that lift payloads into orbit, tugs operate within

Refueling in orbit is redefining the economics and possibilities of space. What Are Orbital Tugs?Orbital tugs are autonomous spacecraft that maneuver, service, or transport other space assets. Increasingly, one of their most valuable roles is refueling satellites and spacecraft mid-mission—directly in space. This isn’t science fiction. It’s operational reality. By enabling spacecraft to replenish fuel

A new class of orbital infrastructure is transforming how we operate in space. What Is a Space Tugboat?Space tugboats are autonomous spacecraft designed to maneuver other objects in orbit. Just as maritime tugboats move larger vessels through ports, space tugs reposition satellites, deliver cargo, and perform in-space servicing like refueling and repairs. These vehicles don’t