‘Cosmic Petrol Stations’ Could Be Operational by 2027, UK Company Orbit Fab Claims
23rd Oct 2024Orbit Fab, a company focused on extending satellite lifespans through space refuelling, has announced that its “cosmic petrol stations” could be deployed by 2027. The UK-based firm, headquartered at the Harwell Space Campus in Oxfordshire, has secured £1.3 million in funding via the National Space Innovation Programme from the UK Space Agency to support its Spitfire project.
Orbit Fab Aims to Solve the Space Junk Problem
Currently, once satellites run out of fuel, they become space debris, drifting in orbit indefinitely. The Spitfire project aims to change this by enabling in-space refuelling, allowing satellites to continue their missions instead of becoming obsolete.
Jacob Geer, managing director at Orbit Fab UK, explained: “Docking a spacecraft in space to enable fuel to be transferred from one to another hasn’t been done before.”
How the Refuelling Process Will Work
The company’s approach involves equipping satellites with a fuelling port, similar to those on cars, allowing a robotic interface to refuel them in orbit. “We’re trying to make sure that any satellite that goes up to space has a fuelling port on it,” Geer added. “We can go up with our robotic interface and refuel that spacecraft, so it can carry on doing its job.”
Refuelling Satellites Like Cars
Fluid System Engineer Omar Raj compared the concept to refuelling a car. “It’s a bit like when you leave your house in the morning… you’re happy to go out with a fuel tank that isn’t full because you know there’s going to be a garage every so many miles.”
Raj elaborated that a similar system could exist in space within the next five to 10 years, enabling satellites to refuel mid-mission.
The Technical Challenge: Refuelling at 18,000mph
The process of refuelling satellites is far from simple. According to Raj, it involves a “complex dance” to align the two orbiting spacecraft travelling at speeds of 18,000mph (29,000km/h). He added that the entire refuelling operation would take roughly four hours to complete.
Orbit Fab plans to establish a network of fuel depots (large fuel tanks in space) and fuel shuttles that will service client satellites as needed.
Unlocking a Multi-Billion Pound Market
Jas Tiruvuru, business development manager for Orbit Fab in the UK and Europe, expressed the company’s ambitious goals. “This will essentially be the first-ever satellite-to-satellite refuelling demonstration funded here in the UK,” she said, adding that a successful demonstration by 2027 could unlock significant market potential.
The satellite sector is expected to be worth over £6.3 billion ($8.2 billion) by 2035, making Orbit Fab’s refuelling technology a potential game-changer for the industry.
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