Satellites that can move after launch need somewhere to go and something to do when they get there. The companies building that infrastructure are betting that on-orbit servicing becomes a standard line item, not a one-off experiment.
Stefano Antonetti is Vice President of Strategy and Growth at D-Orbit, the Italian in-space logistics company that has built its business around the ION Satellite Carrier, an orbital transfer vehicle that deploys and repositions satellites after they reach orbit. Antonetti leads corporate strategy, growth initiatives, and long-term market positioning across institutional and commercial segments. He holds a background in space engineering and has spent nearly two decades in the sector, joining D-Orbit in its early stages and working through its evolution from startup to a company that has now flown 19 commercial ION missions.
D-Orbit’s trajectory over the past 18 months reflects the broader shift from demonstration to scale. In September 2024, the company closed a Series C round of approximately €100 million. In January 2026, it secured a further $53 million in Series D funding led by Azimut Group, earmarked for M&A and the expansion of in-space computing and logistics capacity. Part of that M&A strategy materialized in April 2025, when D-Orbit acquired Italian Earth observation and analytics company Planetek Group, adding cloud-based space applications and AI-powered data processing to the company’s orbital infrastructure. In June 2025, D-Orbit launched its 18th and 19th ION missions aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-14. The company has also signed a strategic cooperation framework with ELT Group to support Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 objectives across satellite platforms and in-orbit services.
The on-orbit servicing market extends beyond satellite deployment. D-Orbit is developing robotics for satellite life extension and debris mitigation, and its ION platform has hosted edge computing payloads and thruster demonstrations for third-party companies. It is not the only company moving in this direction. In January 2026, SatNews reported that the U.S. Space Force awarded Starfish Space $52.5 million for proliferated LEO deorbit services, one of several contracts signaling that government buyers now see orbital logistics as an operational requirement.
At SmallSat Europe, Antonetti delivers a Tech Brief on on-orbit servicing.
The satellites keep going up. Someone has to manage the traffic once they are there.
