Mapping
Picture the low Earth orbit economy for space exploration
We have developed a representation of the commercial low Earth orbit Ecosystem in the context of Terrae Novae, the European Exploration Envelope Programme. This enables you to identify new opportunities, potential partners or gaps that you could fill.
What is the scope?
International
This representation should include all providers from all around the world.
Current and Future Offer
All offers even the ones that are not yet available should be represented.
Commercial
All offers should be commercially available.
Low Earth Orbit focus
Ground-based, suborbital, and parabolic offers are excluded.
MAPPING
Transportation
Check out the overview of the low Earth orbit commercial transportation value chain map.
Mapping
Platform
Check out the overview of the low Earth orbit commercial platforms value chain map.
The low Earth orbit value chain map

Transportation

Communication & Navigation

Platforms

Facilities

Applications
Active – Columbus Module (ISS)
Active – USOS (ISS)
Active – KIBO (ISS)
Active – Tiangong Space Station
Active – Dragon Capsule
Active – Cubesat Platform
Active – Payload Hub Service
Active – Cubesat Platform
Active – Photon
Active – CubeSat Platform
Pipeline – Space Rider
Pipeline – Forge Star
Pipeline – Nyx
Pipeline – Aurora
Pipeline – DC4EU
Pipeline – Orbital Reef
Pipeline – Axiom Station
Pipeline – Starlab
Pipeline – Commercial Space Station
Pipeline – Starship
Pipeline – Dream Chaser
Pipeline – ST-42
Pipeline – Radian One
Active – ICE Cubes Facility
Active – Bartolomeo
Active – Bioreactor Express
Active – Science Taxi
Active – SPAD
Active – Mixstix & NREP & ISS Bishop hosting & Nanolab & Blackbox & Plate Reader & Zero-G Kitchen Oven
Active – Cubelab
Active – CMM & AMF & APH & BFF & ADSEP
Life Sciences
Agriculture & Food
Materials
Education
In-orbit Technology Demonstration
Definition of the categories
This mapping has been built on these 5 categories.

Transportation
Means to move from one location to another in space (crewed and cargo vehicles, space tugs, ascent-descent vehicles, landers)

Communication and Navigation
Utility infrastructure (such as telemetry, tele-command, data relay, crew in-flight calls, tracking and positioning)

Platform
Service to provide interfaces, resources and power required to operate and host facilities, facilitate interactions, accommodate payloads, provide active and passive stowage, and provide support function. Can be crewed or uncrewed.

Facility
Piece of equipment to provide customised environment for users, host utilisation, capability, provide access to instrumentation for users. It can accommodate use cases such as research payloads.

Application
Use cases
Send us your comments on our low Earth orbit value chain
Would you like to be added? Should we change anything?
Help us improve the map, we intend to update it regularly.