| Orbit Fab, Inc. | |
| Trading Name: | Orbit Fab |
| Type: | Private |
| Industry: | Space |
| Hq Location: | 1460 Overlook Drive |
| Hq Location City: | Lafayette, Colorado |
| Hq Location Country: | United States |
| Num Employees: | 72 (2023)[1] |
Orbit Fab is an American startup based in Lafayette, Colorado, United States, that develops in-space refueling systems for satellites.
Orbit Fab was founded by CEO Daniel Faber[2] and CDO Jeremy Schiel[3] in 2018 to extend the lifetime of satellites.[4]
In 2019, the company completed testing of a fuel-transfer system aboard the International Space Station, demonstrating the ability to transfer fuel between spacecraft in microgravity. In the experiment, water was first transferred between two small satellites, and later the water was inserted into the water supply of the space station, making Orbit Fab the first private company to supply water to the ISS with its own proprietary equipment and processes.[5]
On June 24, 2021, Orbit Fab launched Tanker-001, a test device for its depot satellites. Tanker-001 weighs 35kg (77lb) and was used to test the refueling system.[6]
The company plans to launch its refueling service to geostationary orbit in 2025. On May 26, 2023, the company announced that it had selected an Impulse Space Mira spacecraft as a fuel depot to perform an on-orbit refueling demonstration test for the U.S. military in 2025. The demonstration will attempt to refuel the USSF Tetra-5 spacecraft with approximately 50kg (110lb) of hydrazine propellant using Orbit Fab's RAFTI refueling port.[7]
Orbit Fab is developing in-space refueling systems to increase the lifespans of satellites that are in need of additional fuel. The company currently has a contract to refuel satellite-servicing satellites for Astroscale in geostationary orbit with 1000kg (2,000lb) of xenon fuel[8] in addition to a total of US$21 million in defense contracts, including a SpaceWERX contract for a proximity and rendezvous demonstration, a US$13.3 million contract with the United States Department of Defense for in-space refueling of geostationary United States Space Force satellites,[9] and a STRATFI mission for the development of docking ports.[10]
The company is working to provide fuel-replenishment through a docking system using their self-developed port system called RAFTI, eliminating the need for robotic arms to grapple spacecraft. The company is planning to send depot spacecraft into different orbits, and satellites will either refuel themselves at the depot or to use "fuel shuttle" spacecraft provided by Orbit Fab. Fuel will be provided starting in 2025 in geostationary orbit for US$20 million per 100kg (200lb) hydrazine,[11] although the company has also announced plans to provide other fuels, including xenon, water, and nitrogen, and expand its services to other orbits in the future.[12]
The company also announced plans to partner with Astroscale and Northrop Grumman to refuel satellites that do not yet have RAFTI ports.
The Rapidly Attachable Fluid Transfer Interface (RAFTI) was developed by Orbit Fab as a standard refueling port for spacecraft. Orbit Fab has released its specifications openly on its website.
The RAFTI has a size of 45 x 75 x 75 mm, a weight of 500g, and operates under either 650psi or 3000psi.[13]
Orbit Fab developed a mission analysis software called UMPIRE (Universal Mission Planner for Investigating Refueling Effectiveness) that allows users to plan their mission and spacecraft using the refueling systems provided by Orbit Fab.[14]
Orbit Fab raised US$3 million in 2019,[15] and it raised US$28.5 million in a Series A funding round in April 2023.[16] [17]