Orbit Fab

Type: Company (Space Infrastructure)

Orbit Fab is building the in-space refueling infrastructure layer — positioning itself as the "gas station in space." The company has developed RAFTI (Rapid Attachable Fluid Transfer Interface), a standardized refueling port designed to become the universal connector for satellite servicing, analogous to how standardized shipping containers transformed global logistics.

The company's near-term milestone is the first commercial satellite refueling in geostationary orbit, targeted for June 2026 in partnership with Astroscale. This would demonstrate the viability of the satellite life-extension business model and validate RAFTI as a de facto industry standard.

Orbit Fab's strategy is infrastructure-first: rather than building servicing spacecraft themselves, they provide the fuel depot and standardized interface, partnering with servicing companies like Astroscale who build the spacecraft that perform the actual rendezvous and fuel transfer.

Key Contributions

• Developed RAFTI standardized refueling interface for satellite servicing (Orbit Fab + Astroscale)
• First commercial GEO refueling mission planned June 2026 with Astroscale (Orbit Fab + Astroscale)
• Infrastructure-layer approach — fuel depots and interfaces, not servicing spacecraft (Orbit Fab + Astroscale)
• Kamino Depot — commercial refueling services depot tracked in NASA ISAM State of Play 2025 (NASA ISAM State of Play)
• DIU Fuel Depot (2026): $13.3M Defense Innovation Unit contract to provide depot for Space Force APS-R refueling chain (Space Force Refueling Demos)

Mentioned In

• On-Orbit Servicing — Primary driver of commercial refueling
• Orbital Fuel Transfer — Smaller-scale implementation of orbital refueling
• ISAM — In-Space Manufacturing — Kamino Depot in NASA ISAM demo landscape
• Satellite Propulsion — Refueling extends propulsion system utility

Related Entities

• Astroscale — Servicing spacecraft partner for GEO refueling
• Space Force — DIU depot contract customer