The companies plan for Orbit Fab to refuel ispace lunar landers, as they travel through space to extend lunar and cislunar missions.
Ispace, the global lunar exploration company, and Orbit Fab, a provider of on-orbit refuelling services, have announced a strategic collaboration agreement. This partnership aims to revolutionise in-space propellant harvesting and delivery for upcoming Moon missions, leveraging the capabilities of both organisations.
The memorandum of understanding, inked by ispace, ispace EUROPE SA, ispace technologies US, inc., Orbit Fab, and Orbit, Ltd., paves the way for innovative demonstrations, including resource mapping and in-situ resource utilisation (ISRU) missions. The primary objective is to significantly reduce reliance on Earth-supplied resources for future lunar endeavours.
The ispace-Orbit Fab alliance will focus on developing efficient propellants and fuels from space resources, such as water, ice, and lunar regolith found on the Moon’s surface. This collaboration sets the stage for demonstrations, showcasing the companies’ commitment to sustainability and resource management for the benefit of humanity.
As part of their plans, Orbit Fab is set to refuel ispace lunar landers during their space journeys, extending the duration and reach of lunar and cislunar missions. The partnership aims to promote a sustainable lunar economy, with both companies dedicated to demonstrating novel ways of managing lunar resources.
Orbit Fab’s RAFTI (Rapidly Attachable Fluid Transfer Interface) refuelling ports, deployed on an increasing number of government and commercial spacecraft, will play a pivotal role in the safe and secure replenishment of satellites, lunar landers, and other vehicles as they deplete their fuel reserves. ispace, on the other hand, is expected to play a crucial role in procuring in-space propellants to power Orbit Fabs fuel shuttles and depots during cislunar and lunar missions.
Takeshi Hakamada, CEO and founder of ispace, said: Creating a supply chain to utilize space resources on the Moon and in orbit is an essential step in realising ispaces vision of ‘Expand our Planet. Expand our Future.’ We are pleased to be working with Orbit Fab as a step in this direction. I am confident that our collective efforts will lead to positive steps toward long-term lunar development and the creation of the cislunar economy.
Daniel Faber, Orbit Fab Founder and CEO, commented: This exciting collaborative agreement between ispace and Orbit Fab is truly dedicated to building and enabling a sustainable and bustling lunar economy. This partnership is keenly focused on extending the life of critical operations like ispaces lunar lander missions by utilising in-space resources to refuel and support the reusability of satellites and other vehicles for years in space.
As ispace advances its lunar exploration missions with the simultaneous development of Mission 2 in 2024 and Mission 3 in 2026, Orbit Fab’s in-space fuel shuttles and depots are expected to enhance satellite and mission operators’ capabilities. This will result in the launch of smaller, more powerful satellites that can reach revenue-generating orbits faster and more cost-effectively, with fuel no longer being a limiting factor.
Orbit Fab already has contracts and collaborative agreements in place to develop and deliver various propellants, including chemical, electric, and green propellants. These will support dynamic space operations, satellite servicing, and extended missions across a wide range of spacecraft in geosynchronous (GEO), low earth (LEO), and very low earth orbits (VLEO).
