Astroscale takes the wraps off its $25M orbital refueling craft for Space Force

Orbital operations company , is a smallish (funnily enough, “the size of a gas pump”) satellite that will ascend to GEO — around 300 kilometers up — and then descend on a “prepared client” with the correct refueling port. (This client is still an “e.g.” in the diagram, so there’s no official plan yet.)

After refueling it, the APS-R will back off and perform an inspection of the client satellite, looking for any fuel leaks or other issues its operators might want to check. Then it ascends to GEO+ again and rendezvouses with a Defense Innovation Unit RAPIDS fuel depot, which is exactly what it sounds like: an orbital gas station.

Image Credits: Astroscale Some other concepts of space-based refueling opt for the relative simplicity of keeping all the fuel on the craft itself rather than acting as an emergency shuttle between the station and the customer (hence the AAA comparison). But as the military seems to think that a giant, geostationary pressure vessel full of hydrazine is the safer option, Astroscale is going with that. For all we know there may be a self-contained version for non-military use down the line.

This joint project — basically split down the middle cost-wise — is still only in the “concept of operations” phase, but Astroscale expects to deliver it by 2026. No doubt we’ll hear more about this and other space sustainability projects well before then.

Based on reporting by techcrunch.com.