Colorado-based startup Orbit Fab announced a successful test of its GRIP (Grapple, Reposition, and Interface Payload) fueling nozzle, marking a significant step in its development of in-space satellite refueling technology.<\/p>\n
CEO Daniel Faber highlighted the recent test at Kirtland Air Force Base\u2019s Air Force Research Laboratory facility, demonstrating GRIP\u2019s capability to dock with satellites equipped with Orbit Fab\u2019s RAFTI (Rapidly Attachable Fluid Transfer Interface) refueling port.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe test showed that GRIP can establish and maintain a secure fluid connection, enabling in-orbit refueling operations,\u201d Faber explained, emphasizing the device\u2019s potential to replenish satellites low on fuel.<\/p>\n
Designed to simplify refueling processes, GRIP\u2019s active docking and fluid transfer mechanism integrates seamlessly with RAFTI, replacing conventional fill and drain valves on satellite propulsion systems.<\/p>\n
Orbit Fab faces competition from defense giant Northrop Grumman in the emerging military satellite refueling market. U.S. Space Force\u2019s Col. Joseph Roth noted ongoing evaluations of both companies\u2019 technologies at the \u201cState of the Space Industrial Base\u201d conference.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to get those technologies on orbit, test them out in an operational environment,\u201d Roth stated, underscoring the strategic importance of on-orbit refueling for military operations.<\/p>\n
Orbit Fab\u2019s next milestone is the Space Force\u2019s Tetra-5 experiment in 2025, where GRIP will facilitate fuel delivery to satellites in geostationary orbit. The company aims for flight qualification through rigorous environmental testing to ensure readiness for space operations.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will be providing GRIP and related fluid transfer systems to multiple partners,\u201d Faber confirmed, signaling Orbit Fab\u2019s readiness to commercialize its technology.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Colorado-based startup Orbit Fab announced a successful test of its GRIP (Grapple, Reposition, and Interface Payload) fueling nozzle, marking a significant step in its development of in-space satellite refueling technology. CEO Daniel Faber highlighted the recent test at Kirtland Air Force Base\u2019s Air Force Research Laboratory facility, demonstrating GRIP\u2019s capability to dock with satellites equipped […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20967,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[7536,554,4723,20,560],"class_list":["post-20966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-grip","tag-northrop-grumman","tag-orbit-fab","tag-satellite","tag-u-s-space-force"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20966"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20966"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20966\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}