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> By the time our first few satellites run out of fuel, on-orbit refueling will be a reality, and we can just refill our tanks. Are there any companies you're
by evil-olive 6y ago
> By the time our first few satellites run out of fuel, on-orbit refueling will be a reality, and we can just refill our tanks.
Are there any companies you're aware of that are working on this currently?
If this doesn't materialize in the timeframe you expect, how would that affect your business model? Would you need to raise prices to cover the additional cost of launching new spacecraft to replace old ones that run out of fuel and de-orbit after X years?
This seems like a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem - even if on-orbit refueling becomes commercialized by the time your spacecraft runs out of fuel, you'll need to launch with whatever hardware is necessary to allow the "tanker" spacecraft to dock and transfer propellant. Defining that interface in such a way that spacecraft from multiple companies can all be refueled by a single "tanker" spacecraft seems tricky both from a technical angle as well as from a political/social one.
- topherhaddad 6y agoThere is a ton of effort currently being put into the on-orbit servicing world. Orbit Fab is leading the way on providing the fuel depots, and a number of other companies are developing the robotics required to send servicing satellites in between Orbit Fab depots and the satellites they are filling up. Worst case, if the refueling is still a few years out by the time we need it, we would increase our orbit to extend our satellite lifetime (at the cost of lower spatial resolution).