Aerospace · Projected milestone

Ship-to-ship orbital refuelling

Estimated year~2028

65% by 2033 · including earlier years

The year is an editorial timing estimate. The percentage applies to occurrence by the stated deadline. These estimates are not calibrated odds.

Two spacecraft transfer tonnes of super-cold propellant in orbit, the step needed before heavy landers can reach the Moon.

What the forecast means

Milestone stage: milestone (legacy definition)

Completion criteria: Legacy milestone: refine the observable threshold before resolving.

This page describes a forecast, rather than an achieved result. Read the methodology and assumptions.

No individual source links are recorded for this milestone. Source coverage and review status vary across the atlas.

Dataset updated 2026-10-18. This individual record has not been separately re-reviewed.