Orbit Fab and Neutron Star Systems Announce Partnership for Sustainable Propulsion and Satellite Refuelling
Denver and Colorado Springs, April 7, 2022 Orbit Fab and Neutron Star Systems (NSS) established a cooperative agreement for co-development of satellite refuelling solutions with green propellants. The agreement lays the foundation to increase the range of refuellable propellants by combining NSS propellant-agnostic electric propulsion technology with Orbit Fab’s refuelling interfaces and tankers.
NSS and Orbit Fab’s cooperation has been fostered by the United States Space Force and Air Force Research Laboratory’s Catalyst Accelerator – both companies were members of the accelerator’s On-Orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacture (OSAM) cohort which took place in Spring 2021. The cooperation is founded on Orbit Fab’s leadership in satellite refuelling solutions and the wide propellant flexibility of NSS’s SUPREMETM electric thruster. With growing concerns over the safety and cost of traditional Hydrazine propellant, the adoption of new green propellants such as LMP 103S will be critical for enabling safer and more sustainable space operations.
Orbit Fab’s RAFTI refuelling interface
Orbit Fab is pioneering the introduction of on-orbit refuelling, having launched its first tanker to orbit, Tanker-001 Tenzing, last summer. Earlier this month, Orbit Fab announced a $12 million AFWERX STRATFI program to integrate RAFTI onto DoD assets to provide them with refuelling services.
