The Colorado-based company is developing in-space depots to refuel satellites. The company announced that its fuel interface, RAFTI, has completed flight qualification and is ready to be shipped to customers, including the Space Force.
RAFTI is designed to be installed on satellites to allow them to be refuelled.
Orbit Fab has spent the last two years validating the port’s readiness for the harsh space environment. They conducted ground and in-orbit tests that demonstrated its ability to withstand extreme weather.
The company has now begun shipping its first 12 RAFTI ports to customers who wish to install them on their satellites. The Space Force will receive eight of the RAFTIs, with the remaining four going to other customers, such as Astroscale, a company developing spacecraft with refillable gas tanks.
Orbit Fab plans to produce around a dozen more RAFTIs in the next month, with production expected to reach 100 units this year. Additionally, the company is creating licensing agreements with other firms to increase the availability of the ports in the marketplace.
Multiple companies could offer the same service, allowing for a transition to reusable and refuellable satellites.
The Space Force intends to conduct satellite refueling demonstrations in the coming years to determine the military benefits of this capability. By the end of the decade, all DOD spacecraft should be equipped with refuelling ports. This will enable key spacecraft, particularly those designed to manoeuvre and observe adversary activities in orbit, to move more freely without the fear of running out of propellant.
Several companies are creating refuelling ports to offer options for the government. One of these is Northrop Grumman’s Passive Refuelling Module, which the Space Force has recently approved for use on DOD satellites.
RAFTI will be made available to the Space Force for any new satellite they build.
Orbit Fab’s fuel depot and RAFTI port will both play a role in the 2026 demonstration. Impulse Space will host the fuel depot, essentially a gas station, on a spacecraft. An Astroscale-built servicing vehicle will be refuelled by the depot, which will then provide fuel to three satellites that are part of AFRL’s Tetra-5 mission.
Orbit Fab’s depot has completed its major design reviews and will begin manufacturing the system and preparing for testing this year. The goal is to have it ready for launch in 2025.
The company is also collaborating with the Space Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office on a separate effort to advance refuelling technology. The program will run through 2025.
