{"id":5789,"date":"2025-04-03T22:11:38","date_gmt":"2025-04-03T14:11:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/ussf-selects-northrop-grumman-for-in-space-demonstration-of-refueling-technologies\/"},"modified":"2025-04-03T22:11:38","modified_gmt":"2025-04-03T14:11:38","slug":"ussf-selects-northrop-grumman-for-in-space-demonstration-of-refueling-technologies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/ussf-selects-northrop-grumman-for-in-space-demonstration-of-refueling-technologies\/","title":{"rendered":"USSF Selects Northrop Grumman for In-Space Demonstration of Refueling Technologies"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.satnow.com\/news\/1743662833094_638792596322393441.png\" class=\"imageload removeImageattr fr-dib\" width=\"711\" height=\"376\" alt=\"USSF Selects Northrop Grumman for In-Space Demonstration of Refueling Technologies\" data-original=\"https:\/\/cdn.satnow.com\/news\/1743662833094_638792596322393441.png\" style=\"opacity: 0;\"><meta itemprop=\"url\" content=\"https:\/\/cdn.satnow.com\/news\/1743662833094_638792596322393441.png\"><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"711\"><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"376\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>The United States Space Force (USSF)<\/strong> awarded <strong>Northrop Grumman Corporation<\/strong> two national security contracts, including a technology demonstration for in-space refueling. These contracts build on Northrop Grumman\u2019s proven on-orbit satellite servicing and refueling innovation, including first-of-its-kind mission extension services that protect critical space assets in geosynchronous orbit for both the U.S. government and commercial partners.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Space Systems Command (SSC) awarded Northrop Grumman a contract for the Elixir refueling payload program, which will enable the Space Force to refine tactics and procedures for rendezvous and proximity operations, docking, refueling, and undocking of on-orbit vehicles \u2013 foundational capabilities for servicing, mobility, and logistics.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Under the Elixir program contract, the company will design, build, and integrate a refueling payload onto a space vehicle and demonstrate refueling with a demonstration client satellite.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Under a separate contract, Northrop Grumman has been awarded a multi-unit award of four of the company\u2019s proven ESPAStar spacecraft, one of which will host the refueling demonstration payload on its ride to space.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"widget-layout related-content-also-read-box my-3\">\n<h4 class=\"mb-0\">Also Read: What is a Bipropellant Thruster?<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Lauren Smith<\/strong><strong>, program manager, in-space refueling, Northrop Grumman<\/strong>: \u201cThis technology will unlock new possibilities for dynamic space operations, providing the sustained maneuverability our customers need in a complex environment. To deliver this critical national security capability, our team will build on Northrop Grumman&#8217;s in-space servicing success and trailblaze new refueling solutions to meet mission needs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Matt Verock<\/strong><strong>, vice president, space security systems, Northrop Grumman<\/strong>: \u201cNorthrop Grumman\u2019s refueling capabilities are pioneering the next generation of satellite technology. The ability to refuel in orbit will have a direct impact on the success of our nation\u2019s most important missions \u2013 allowing warfighters to continue operating quickly and safely.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The USSF has made a multi-unit ESPAStar purchase, underscoring the increasing demand for rideshare vehicles and rapid access to space. Since its first award in 2016, the ESPAStar product line has provided proven and reliable capability. Each upgraded bus can hold more than 330kg of payload mass on each of its six ports, providing additional mass-to-orbit. The Elixir program includes elements to successfully perform rendezvous and proximity operations, dock and undock with a demonstration client satellite, to transfer and receive fuel. The refueling payload will be equipped with the company\u2019s Active Refueling Module (ARM), which interfaces with Northrop Grumman\u2019s Passive Refueling Module (PRM) for the transfer and receipt of fuel. Operational client satellites equipped with PRMs will benefit from this mature technology because they can be refueled.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In 2023, the company\u2019s PRM was approved by SSC\u2019s Space Systems Integration Office (SSIO) as a refueling interface for consideration by SSC programs. Multiple PRM flight units are currently in production for the Space Force and will also be integrated onto Northrop Grumman\u2019s next-generation satellite servicing vehicle, the Mission Robotic Vehicle. The in-orbit demonstration will advance and validate the company\u2019s on-orbit servicing and refueling technology, paving the way for fully operational refueling spacecraft in the future. These developments follow years of work by Northrop Grumman across commercial and U.S. government contracts to mature all elements of key refueling technologies and mission architecture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The United States Space Force (USSF) awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation two national security contracts, including a technology demonstration for in-space refueling. These contracts build on Northrop Grumman\u2019s proven on-orbit satellite servicing and refueling innovation, including first-of-its-kind mission extension services that protect critical space assets in geosynchronous orbit for both the U.S. government and commercial partners. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"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":[26,56,20],"class_list":["post-5789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-ground","tag-propellant-tanks","tag-satellite"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5789"}],"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=5789"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5789\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}