Orbit Fab to lead ESA backed ASTRAL refuelling demo in orbit

by Robert Schreiber
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Dec 03, 2025
Orbit Fab has secured up to $3.8 million in funding through the UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency's Directorate of Connectivity and Secure Communications to lead a European consortium that will advance satellite refuelling technology. The Advancing Satcom Technology with Refuelling and Logistics (ASTRAL) project will receive total UK funding of up to $3.8 million (3.3 million euros), with the first-stage contract valued at 1.3 million pounds (1.1 million euros) awarded under ESA's Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) Core Competitiveness program.

ASTRAL is planned to carry out an in-orbit experiment by 2028 to de-risk and validate Orbit Fab's RAFTI and GRASP refuelling interfaces during realistic docking and propellant transfer operations. The mission aims to demonstrate these systems in their operational environment as a key step toward sustainable satellite servicing and refuelling.

Jacob Geer, Orbit Fab Managing Director of UK and Europe, said: "We are proud that Orbit Fab will lead Europe's first in-orbit test of satellite refuelling. Through the support of the ESA ARTES we are bringing together technology developed in Austria, Lithuania, the UK and beyond with our proven RAFTI interface to conduct the world's first in orbit fuelling of Xenon. Developing the European capability now is vital to extend the life of communication satellites and make defence spacecraft more manoeuvrable and resilient."

Laurent Jaffart, Director of ESA's Connectivity and Secure Communications, said: "ESA is committed to supporting a vibrant and striving telecom ecosystem in Europe while achieving a zero-debris environment in space, which includes the development of technologies for in-orbit servicing and refuelling. This milestone, which is enforced by top expertise from our colleagues at Orbit Fab and support from the UK Space Agency, builds on more than a decade in working towards a sustainable future in Earth orbit. ASTRAL - which will be an important test in the realisation of flexibility and extending mission lifetimes - is set to further strengthen the European autonomy and sovereignty that we are collectively striving for with our Member States."

Craig Brown, UK Space Agency Director of Investments, said: "The UK Space Agency is proud to support pioneering projects such as ASTRAL that showcase the depth of talent and innovation across the UK and European space sector. In-orbit servicing and refuelling could transform the way communication satellites operate over time, so investing in these new technologies, and fostering strong European partnerships in areas such as in-orbit refuelling, we are helping to secure the UK's position as a global leader in space, driving growth, and delivering benefits for industry and society alike."

The ASTRAL consortium brings together Orbit Fab, KISPE Space Systems, Gate Space Innovation GmbH, Blackswan Space and Indra Deimos from the UK, Austria, Lithuania and other countries. The partners will deliver what is described as Europe's first in-orbit refuelling experiment using xenon, focusing on the design, integration and validation of hardware needed to sustain and protect satellites as orbital congestion increases.

During the mission, ASTRAL will run a sequence of in-orbit servicing operations that begins with mechanical docking and a leak-free connection between a servicing and a client spacecraft using Orbit Fab's GRASP and RAFTI interfaces. The mission will then transfer nitrous oxide (N2O), ethane and xenon through the RAFTI interface to demonstrate multi-propellant capability, followed by validation of docking, refuelling, rendezvous and proximity operations, and safe release procedures in orbit.