Geopolitics and Technological Containment of Private Spaceflight: The Cold War and West German Aerospace Company Orbital Transport und Raketen Aktiengesellschaft

Orbital Transport und Raketen Aktiengesellschaft (OTRAG), a pioneering West German aerospace firm, sought to revolutionize space access using low-cost satellites. OTRAG challenged state-controlled space programs. Its activities sparked geopolitical tensions and concerns over dual-use missile technology. Despite its ambitions, OTRAG met resistance, especially from the United States, the Soviet Union, and West Germany, all concerned with technology transfers to hostile states. Forced out of Zaire in 1979, ORTAG relocated to Libya to develop rockets under controversial circumstances, especially given Arab regional politics. OTRAG’s role in missile development fueled issues over dual-use technologies, which are capable of both civilian and military uses. The 1987 Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) directly addressed these proliferation risks. Although OTRAG predated MTCR, its activities highlighted challenges of regulating non-state actors and underscored the narrow differences between commercial and military applications. This article examines how Cold War geopolitics shaped OTRAG’s trajectory and explores its broader impact on the evolving private space industry. The debate around civilian use of dual-use technologies paved the way to future civilian projects.