📣 📣 Big news: We are building an on-orbit refueling network. We call it Loop.
The industry has talked about in-orbit refueling for over a decade, but it’s been stuck in a chicken-and-egg trap. Nobody builds a gas station if the cars don't have gas caps, and nobody installs gas caps if there aren't any gas stations. And even if you did magically have gas stations up there tomorrow, it would be years before anyone would actually buy fuel.
We're breaking that cycle from the bottom up.
We aren't asking for a leap of faith from our customers with contracts to buy fuel in the 2030s. Instead, we’ve replaced the standard ground-fill valve on our larger SatDrive systems with a Docking and Fluid Transfer (DFT) port. It adds just 600 grams and is now a standard feature. It gives our customers near-free optionality to be refueled in the future, without locking them into anything today.
The passive side is already in production and will be on orbit later this year with the first of a handful of customers. The service side, Loop, is fully funded, with the first demo slated for 2028.
We feel incredibly privileged to be in a position to turn this vision into a reality. We are laser-focused on the execution: continuing to scale our propulsion system production, delivering as many of those systems with DFT ports as possible, and preparing for our 2028 on-orbit refueling demo between SUV and an OPD mini.
If we can do that, I think it's fair to say the transition to a refuelable orbital economy is finally underway.
Â
Read my full thought piece on how we are making this transition a reality:
https://lnkd.in/e-ZQYeZG
Website update: here: https://lnkd.in/e-Ajv77S
The industry has talked about in-orbit refueling for over a decade, but it’s been stuck in a chicken-and-egg trap. Nobody builds a gas station if the cars don't have gas caps, and nobody installs gas caps if there aren't any gas stations. And even if you did magically have gas stations up there tomorrow, it would be years before anyone would actually buy fuel.
We're breaking that cycle from the bottom up.
We aren't asking for a leap of faith from our customers with contracts to buy fuel in the 2030s. Instead, we’ve replaced the standard ground-fill valve on our larger SatDrive systems with a Docking and Fluid Transfer (DFT) port. It adds just 600 grams and is now a standard feature. It gives our customers near-free optionality to be refueled in the future, without locking them into anything today.
The passive side is already in production and will be on orbit later this year with the first of a handful of customers. The service side, Loop, is fully funded, with the first demo slated for 2028.
We feel incredibly privileged to be in a position to turn this vision into a reality. We are laser-focused on the execution: continuing to scale our propulsion system production, delivering as many of those systems with DFT ports as possible, and preparing for our 2028 on-orbit refueling demo between SUV and an OPD mini.
If we can do that, I think it's fair to say the transition to a refuelable orbital economy is finally underway.
Â
Read my full thought piece on how we are making this transition a reality:
https://lnkd.in/e-ZQYeZG
Website update: here: https://lnkd.in/e-Ajv77S
