Speakers
Description
On-orbit refueling (OOR) is growing into a major building block of the hustling space economy. OOR finds application in GEO, LEO and cis-Lunar orbits.MEV-1 and MEV-2 were ground breaking demonstrations, which have validated the use-case of satellite life extension and garnered interest from the satellite asset owners and operators. Though, different methods of life-extension are possible, refueling offers the most efficient and cost-effective solution. Refueling finds a unique use case in GEO and LEO orbits. Refueling would offer a direct economic benefit for satellite operators in GEO by extending the use of their high CAPEX satellite assets. In the LEO ecosystem however, satellites such as Aelous 1 would benefit greatly from having refueling accessibility. 4 year life extension would have bought in additional cost benefit to society and would have enabled continuous use of their expensive payload. On-orbit servicing and debris removal would become economically viable with the integration of refueling in their operations. A reduction in costs in the region of 70-80% could be foreseen by including refueling as a part of debris removal services. We, at OrbitAID aerospace are developing a solution to enable refueling in LEO and GEO by building a constellation of propellant tanker satellites.
