Orbit Fab, a provider of on-orbit refuelling services, and ClearSpace, a leader in in-orbit servicing, have announced a multi-faceted strategic partnership to advance in-space refuelling and servicing capabilities.
The companies aim to revolutionise space operations and serve as a foundation for a vibrant and sustainable space economy.
Under the memorandum of understanding (MoU), Orbit Fab and ClearSpace will develop key enabling technologies, building on their initial collaborative work that began several years ago.
The two companies will leverage their complementary capabilities and missions to accelerate the availability of propellants in space by creating a refuelling service architecture pairing an Orbit Fab fuel depot with a ClearSpace shuttle.
Market demand for in-orbit refuelling reflects the need for unconstrained in-space mobility and the value of extending the operational utility of critical space assets.
The US Space Force considers Space Mobility and Logistics (SML) as one of its core competencies, and in-orbit refuelling directly addresses the challenge of replenishing spacecraft consumables.
Furthermore, refuelling will become a key competitive advantage for operators of commercial satellites and service vehicles.
Orbit Fab is already supporting ClearSpace with the design of its CLEAR mission for active debris removal, funded by the UK Space Agency, to enable the service vehicle to be refueled and reused.
The development of ClearSpace’s refueling shuttle adds to the growing ecosystem of service providers, building on the standards and vision established by Orbit Fab’s foundational work in fuel depot development and fuel transfer interfaces.
Its RAFTI (Rapidly Attachable Fluid Transfer Interface) refuelling ports and its GRIP robotic docking devices are already being integrated aboard a fast-growing number of vehicles, with RAFTI slated for integration on more than a dozen spacecraft, and GRIP being baselined on another five.
By combining Orbit Fab’s fuel transfer expertise with ClearSpace’s vision system and RPO capabilities, ClearSpace expands its in-orbit service portfolio and Orbit Fab extends the reach of its fuel distribution services, resulting in the creation of a competitive, commercial marketplace for turn-key, in-orbit refueling services.
“Orbit Fab is the clear leader in satellite refuelling, and ClearSpace is excited to partner with them as we explore possibilities for advancing new servicing and refuelling capabilities that will ultimately benefit everyone participating in the space economy and beyond,” said Luc Piguet, ClearSpace co-founder and CEO.
“ClearSpace and Orbit Fab are seeing growing demand in the U.S., UK, and around the world for service vehicles and refuelling as government and commercial operators seek to boost the ROI of their missions and extend operations.”
“ClearSpace is developing key technologies that will unlock opportunities for last-mile fuel delivery in both GEO and LEO, and we’re delighted to see our collaboration with ClearSpace push the boundaries of what is possible today,” noted Daniel Faber, Orbit Fab founder and CEO.
“Our RAFTI and GRIP refuelling systems are the interfaces of choice for secure, sustainable in-space refuelling operations, and our work with ClearSpace, both in the US and in the UK, is revolutionising the capabilities that make extended satellite operations a reality.”
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