Orbit Fab Tenzing tanker powered by Benchmark Halcyon thruster approaches spacecraft in need of refueling. (Photo: Benchmark Space Systems)
Orbit Fab, the San Francisco-based start-up that is building gas stations for spacecraft in orbit, has entered into a technology partnership with non-toxic small satellite propulsion supplier
Benchmark Space Systems (BSS). The two companies will combine their refueling technologies and servicing infrastructure to extend satellite missions in space.
BSS will utilize Orbit Fab’s Satellite Gas Cap fluid transfer interface (RAFTI) to fuel Orbit Fab’s Tanker-001 Tenzing on the ground. BSS will also offer the RAFTI interface as an option with its Halcyon and Peregrine propulsion solutions for in-orbit refueling. The company uses hydrogen peroxide as a cost- and environmentally friendly fuel, which it also believes is effective for in-space thrust and maneuverability.