Space Tug Companies Compared: Orbital Transfer Vehicles in 2026

A rideshare gets your satellite to space cheaply, but rarely to exactly the orbit you need. That is where space tugs come in. These vehicles, which NASA calls orbital transfer vehicles (OTVs) or orbital maneuvering vehicles (OMVs), ride to orbit on a rocket and then move their payloads to different altitudes, inclinations or positions. This guide compares the companies offering them in 2026, using NASA's Small Spacecraft Technology State of the Art report as the main source. For the basics, read space tugs explained.

What a space tug can do

NASA lists four main services:

Altitude change or planetary transfer: raising or lowering the orbit, or with enough energy, transfer toward the Moon and beyond.
Inclination change: changing the angle of the orbit, which changes ground coverage and lighting.
Phasing: moving a satellite to a different position within the same orbit.
Constellation deployment: dropping several satellites into a formation, so each one needs less propulsion of its own.

NASA also notes that many vehicles carry extra propellant so they can later offer services such as deorbiting other spacecraft or inspection, and that some OTVs host payloads that stay attached instead of deploying them, see hosted payloads.

A young market

NASA describes the OTV market as nascent, with many planned systems but few with flight heritage. According to the report, the vehicles that flew successfully in 2025 all had their pathfinders launched in 2023. NASA also notes that the information on commercial vehicles comes from the manufacturers or public sources and has not been independently verified. Technology gaps include RF licensing, availability of attitude control components, reliable propulsion and a lack of standard payload interfaces.

Space tug companies with flight heritage

D-Orbit (Italy), ION Satellite Carrier: first used in 2020 to deploy Planet satellites, flown 21 times as of December 2025. In November 2025, two ION carriers delivered eight missions to sun-synchronous orbit at about 510 km. Satellites in the same orbital plane can be released into their own slots without phasing.
Impulse Space (USA), Mira: first launch in November 2023 (LEO Express 1), LEO Express 2 in January 2025. NASA lists 300 kg maximum payload and 500 m/s delta-v.
Momentus (USA), Vigoride: flown three times, with an anomaly on the first flight in May 2022 and two successful flights in 2023. NASA's table lists 800 kg maximum payload and 250 to 2,000 km operating altitudes; the text mentions 750 kg to LEO. It can launch from an ESPA Grande ring, a SpaceX XL rideshare plate or a dedicated launcher.
Exotrail (France), spacevan LEO: flown, about 200 kg payload and about 500 m/s delta-v for LEO between about 400 and 2,000 km. A GEO version is upcoming.
Rocket Lab (USA), Photon: an evolution of the Electron kick stage, flown seven times as of March 2026, including two modified Photons for NASA's ESCAPADE Mars mission in November 2025.
Epic Aerospace (Argentina), Chimera: LEO Block 0 flown since January 2023, 300 kg payload. GEO versions target transfer from GTO toward the Moon.
Space Machines Company (Australia), Optimus: flew in 2024 with eight hosted payloads; the Viper version is planned for 2026 and 2027.
Atomos (USA), Quark: Quark-LITE launched in spring 2024 and demonstrated rendezvous, docking and refueling despite communication and tumbling issues.
Northrop Grumman (USA), ESPAStar and MEV: ESPAStar has heritage through the U.S. Space Force LDPE missions, now called ROOSTER. The Mission Extension Vehicle has extended the life of two Intelsat satellites.

Upcoming space tugs

Impulse Space Helios: a methane and oxygen kick stage advertised to carry more than 4,000 kg from LEO to GEO in under 24 hours, first flight planned in 2026.
Firefly Elytra: Dawn for LEO, Dusk for LEO to GEO and Dark for lunar and beyond. The first Elytra mission is planned on New Glenn no earlier than 2026.
Blue Origin Blue Ring: advertised for more than 3,000 kg of payloads from MEO to cislunar space.
UARX Space (Spain) OSSIE: up to 400 kg and 690 m/s; the first qualification mission is planned for 2026 with 12 payloads.
Exolaunch (Germany) Reliant: Standard with 200 kg and Pro with 260 kg payload.
Moog (USA) METEOR family: METEOR with 750 kg and more than 400 m/s.
Others: TransAstra WorkerBee, Quantum Space RANGER and Kall Morris Laelaps.

How to choose a space tug

Define the delta-v you need. The difference between the rideshare drop-off orbit and your target decides which vehicle can do it.
Check flight heritage. NASA's report separates flown vehicles from upcoming ones.
Match the launch. Some tugs are tied to specific rockets, such as Photon on Electron or Elytra on Firefly and Blue Origin rockets.
Clarify the interface. There is no standard payload interface across vehicles yet.
Plan licensing. RF licensing is one of the gaps NASA names.

On Carrier Space you can compare transfer vehicles such as ION, Mira, Helios, spacevan, Vigoride and Elytra Dark in the vehicle database and send a cargo request.

Frequently asked questions

What is a space tug?

A vehicle that launches on a rocket and then moves satellites from the drop-off orbit to their target orbit. NASA calls them orbital transfer or orbital maneuvering vehicles.

Which companies offer space tugs?

Flown vehicles include D-Orbit ION, Impulse Mira, Momentus Vigoride, Exotrail spacevan, Rocket Lab Photon, Epic Aerospace Chimera and Space Machines Optimus. Firefly, Blue Origin, UARX, Exolaunch and Moog have vehicles in development.

How much can a space tug carry?

According to NASA's table, from about 200 kg (Exotrail spacevan LEO) to 800 kg (Momentus Vigoride) for flown LEO vehicles, and more than 4,000 kg advertised for Impulse Helios.

Can a space tug go to GEO or the Moon?

Some are designed for it, such as Impulse Helios, Firefly Elytra Dark, Epic Chimera GEO and Blue Origin Blue Ring.

Sources

Cover image: Technicians integrate NASA's Carruthers Geocorona Observatory and NOAA's SWFO-L1 satellite to an ESPA ring near Kennedy Space Center, 5 September 2025. Credit: NASA/Frank Michaux (KSC-20250905-PH-FMX01_0037), public domain.