The Roadmap to In-Orbit Refuelling for Telecom Satellites

Orbit Fab is developing an orbital infrastructure designed to provide a ubiquitous supply of propellant for all in-orbit assets, both governmental and commercial, extending their lifespan and providing the possibility of less frequent deorbiting and replacement. This vision will end the single-use paradigm for spacecraft and enable the next generation of missions based on extended lifetimes and higher flexibility for maneuvering and retasking of assets. Orbit Fab Limited (OFL) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Orbit Fab Inc with the vision to independently leverage the UK and European space ecosystem to contribute to the global effort to make efficient in space refuelling a reality.

This paper presents Orbit Fab’s progress in developing a scalable refuelling architecture targeting both LEO and GEO environments. Through RADICAL, a collaborative initiative with GEO telecommunications operators and satellite platform providers, OFL has conducted a structured analysis of the operational, business, and technical requirements necessary to enable commercial satellite refuelling. This engagement drove the definition of mission use-cases and scenarios of interest, which in turn informed the design of a refuelling architecture centered on the most likely early adopters in the GEO telecommunications sector. The paper presents the key business developments arising from RADICAL, describes the resulting GEO and LEO refuelling architectures, and discusses their scalability for servicing future clients across both orbital regimes.

Central to this architecture is OFL’s RAFTI interface, which has been qualified and is currently being integrated across multiple missions, demonstrating its readiness for adoption by other integrators and operators. The paper also outlines planned remaining interface development, identifying the qualification gaps that may need to be covered for specific missions.