SAN FRANCISCO – On-orbit refueling startup Orbit Fab and in-space servicing specialist ClearSpace announced a multifaceted partnership Jan. 24.
Initially, the companies will work together to pair an Orbit Fab fuel depot with a ClearSpace shuttle.
“Customers can buy fuel from Orbit Fab and have it delivered by our partners like ClearSpace,” Daniel Faber, Orbit Fab founded founder and CEO, told SpaceNews.
Over the long term, Orbit Fab and ClearSpace executives see additional opportunities to work together on mission extension, transportation and other mobility and logistics services.
Fuel Shuttle
“Our initial goal is to put our Orbit Fab and ClearSpace hardware together, put it through its paces, and get that platform into orbit in the next two years,” Faber said.
Orbit Fab has not ruled out the possibility of building its own fuel shuttles. The company is taking a “collaborative and open approach to building fuel shuttles, systems and solutions to fuel and refuel the bustling space economy,” Faber said.
After working with ClearSpace on a U.K.-funded active debris removal (ADR) mission, Orbit Fab and ClearSpace executives realized the companies could rapidly build a refueling service that “leverages what ClearSpace is doing and means Orbit Fab can move faster,” Faber said.
New Global Markets
The partnership with Orbit Fab extends ClearSpace’s presence geographically. Established in Switzerland, ClearSpace has operations in the U.K. and U.S.
“We’re in very complementary situations with Orbit Fab having its foundations here in the U.S. and ClearSpace having its foundations in Europe and in the U.K.,” said Tim Maclay, ClearSpace chief strategy officer and U.S. general manager.
In addition, “we see Orbit Fab as being in an adjacent market and developing a very complementary set of services to ours,” Maclay said.
Orbit Fab’s expertise is in fuel transfer. The company’s RAFTI (Rapidly…
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