Orbit Fab’s Space Fuel Ports Ready for Launch, Helping Satellites Refuel in Space

Space News ,U.S :-  Orbit Fab, a company from Colorado, has finished testing its fuel ports for satellites. This week, they announced that their ports are ready to be sent to customers, including the Space Force.

The fuel ports, called Rapidly Attachable Fuel Transfer Interface (RAFTI), are made to be put on satellites. They allow satellites to get fuel either in space or on the ground before they are launched.

For the past two years, Orbit Fab has been checking if their ports can handle space conditions. They tested them on the ground and in space to make sure they work well even in extreme weather.

Now that the testing is done, Orbit Fab has started sending out the first 12 RAFTI ports to customers. Eight of these are for the Space Force, and the rest are for other customers like Astroscale, a company working on spacecraft with refillable gas tanks.

Orbit Fab plans to make about a dozen more RAFTI ports in the next month. The CEO, Adam Harris, says they aim to produce around 100 units this year. They are also talking to other companies to allow them to make these ports too, so more people can use them.

Harris said, "Having multiple companies offering these ports can help us move towards reusable, refuellable satellites."

The Space Force wants to test refueling satellites in the next few years to see how useful they can be for military purposes. They want all Department of Defense satellites to have refueling ports by the end of the decade. This will let these satellites move freely without worrying about running out of fuel.

Many companies, including Northrop Grumman, are making refueling ports. The Space Force recently approved Northrop Grumman's Passive Refueling Module for its satellites.

Orbit Fab wants to offer RAFTI ports whenever the Space Force needs them. Harris said, "Whenever the Space Force makes a new satellite, we'll offer them RAFTI."

This includes a recent request from the Space Force for satellites that can keep an eye on space and can be refueled.

Orbit Fab is also working with the Space Force, Defense Innovation Unit, and the Air Force Research Laboratory on a refueling demonstration. This demonstration, planned for 2026, will show how satellites can be refueled in space.

Orbit Fab's fuel depot and RAFTI ports will be part of this demonstration. Impulse Space will make the spacecraft to host the fuel depot. This depot will refuel a servicing vehicle made by Astroscale, which will then refuel three satellites for the Air Force Research Laboratory's Tetra-5 mission.

Harris said that Orbit Fab's depot has finished its main designs and will start making and testing it this year. They aim to launch it in 2025.

Orbit Fab is also working with the Space Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office on another project to improve refueling technology. This project will run until 2025.