NASA has set a goal to return to the moon by the year 2030, under a program known as Artemis. But sending astronauts and cargo to the moon and beyond is expensive and inefficient due to the tremendous amount of fuel required to get there. The problem is that rockets must carry fuel not just for their initial launch but for every maneuver in space thereafter, including changing orbit, rendezvousing with other spacecraft, and finally returning to Earth. That fuel load, known as propellant, can account for up to 95 percent of the total mass of a spacecraft, according to Orbit Fab.
Founded in 2018, Orbit Fab has the goal of making it easier and cheaper for spacecraft to refuel and restock in orbit, which would allow spacecraft to travel farther and do more, such as enabling spacecraft to stay in orbit longer, make more efficient journeys to Mars and beyond, and support satellite servicing missions.
To solve this problem, Orbit Fab is developing several types of on-orbit refueling systems, including a mobile tanker, a spacecraft depot capable of storing fuel and transferring it to other spacecraft, and a "tank farm," which is a cluster of individual tanks that can be added to or moved around as needed to accommodate changing demands.
Orbit Fab aims to launch its first tanker to low Earth orbit no earlier than 2025, followed by a tanker to the moon by 2026 or 2027. The company has already signed contracts with NASA to provide lunar propellant storage and delivery by 2028. The lunar depot is expected to consist of four fuel storage tanks, each capable of holding 4,000 kilograms of liquid oxygen and liquid methane.
Orbit Fab is not alone in pursuing on-orbit refueling. Several other companies, such as Sierra Space, Airbus, and Boeing, are also developing refueling technologies. But, Orbit Fab has the advantage of having already successfully tested its technology in space. In 2021, the company launched a small satellite equipped with a water tank and a thruster and demonstrated the ability to transfer water from the tank to the thruster and use it as propellant.
The company's success could revolutionize space travel, enabling more ambitious and efficient missions to Mars and beyond.
