Blackswan Space secures RPO Kit delivery to “ASTRAL” – a European landmark in-orbit refuelling mission
Blackswan Space as part of the ASTRAL project consortium is going to deliver the RPO (rendezvous and proximity operations) Kit a critical sub-system of the spacecraft for an in-orbit refueling experiment going to be launched in 2028.
Orbit Fab, the in-orbit logistics company pioneering space sustainability and developing long-term space solutions, today announced it will deliver the Advancing Satcom Technology with Refuelling and Logistics (ASTRAL) project with a total UK funding of up to $3.8m (€3.3m). The contract for the first stage of the mission, worth £1.3m (€1.1m), has now been awarded by ESA’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) Core Competitiveness programme.
By 2028, ASTRAL will conduct a pioneering in-orbit demonstration to de-risk and validate Orbit Fab’s RAFTI™ and GRASP refueling interfaces under realistic docking and propellant-transfer conditions. Blackswan Space plays a key role in this mission by delivering the critical Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO) Kit — a subsystem that enables precise docking between the two spacecraft. The RPO Kit which is based on our off-the-shelf Vision Based Navigation (VBN) system we have been developing over the past 5 years, integrates advanced visible-spectrum and range-measurement sensors with onboard computing powered by proprietary computer vision algorithms, ensuring accurate detection of satellite pose. This mission will rigorously assess both of these core enabling technologies in their operational environment, marking a vital milestone toward sustainable satellite servicing and in-space refueling capabilities for Europe.
Marius Klimavičius, Blackswan Space Founder & CEO, expressed his enthusiasm: “ASTRAL represents the right ambition for the European space industry at the right time, asserting its leadership in the next-generation space technologies. We are proud to contribute to this vision and help shape Europe’s role in the global space economy with our core technology we have been developing with our international partners from the very inception of our company.”
The ASTRAL consortium unites leading European innovators – Orbit Fab, Blackswan Space, KISPE Space Systems, Gate Space Innovation GmbH, and Indra Deimos – from the UK, Austria, Lithuania and beyond. Together, they will deliver Europe’s first in-orbit refuelling experiment using Xenon, advancing the design, integration and validation of critical hardware needed to sustain and protect satellites in Space. As Earth’s orbit become increasingly congested and contested, ASTRAL will help strengthen Europe’s strategic resilience, enabling spacecraft to manoeuvre, extend mission life, and maintain operational advantage for the continent across commercial and governmental domains.
Jacob Geer, Orbit Fab Managing Director of UK & 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.”
Over the course of the mission, ASTRAL will demonstrate a complete series of in-orbit servicing operations, beginning with a mechanical docking and leak-free connection between a servicing and target spacecraft using Orbit Fab’s GRASP and RAFTI™ interfaces. The mission will then transfer multiple propellants – Nitrous Oxide (N2O), Ethane, and Xenon – through RAFTI™, proving the system’s versatility and robust capacity. The mission will then attempt to safely validate docking, refuelling, rendezvous and proximity operations and safe release procedures to confirm reliable performance of the Blackswan Space RPO Kit and other consortium member sub-systems in a true orbital environment.
About ASTRAL
ASTRAL (Advance Satcom Technology with Refuelling and Logistics) is a multi-purpose activity co-funded through ESA’s ARTES programme. The UK Space Agency and national delegations from Lithuania, Austria and other nations support the mission due to its importance to their national space strategies and potential commercial benefit. The mission will mature the hardware and operational procedures required for in-orbit spacecraft refuelling, targeting completion by 2028.
About Blackswan Space
Since 2019 Blackswan Space develops cutting-edge technologies that enable autonomous satellite operations and next-generation mission capabilities. Our flagship product, the Mission Design Simulator (MDS), is a powerful software platform for simulating realistic space scenarios, ranging from in-orbit servicing and satellite constellations to space domain awareness and threat assessment from adversarial spacecraft.
Complementing this, our RPO Kit is an off-the-shelf payload engineered for autonomous Rendezvous, Proximity Operations, and Docking (RPOD). Equipped with advanced target identification, tracking, and pose estimation capabilities, the kit empowers spacecraft to execute complex navigation manoeuvres essential for missions involving both cooperative and uncooperative targets.
About Orbit Fab
Orbit Fab is building the infrastructure for a sustainable and secure space economy by pioneering on-orbit satellite refuelling. With its RAFTI™ refuelling ports and a network of space-based fuel depots, Orbit Fab enables reusable satellites and long-duration missions for commercial, scientific, and defence applications. Orbit Fab is headquartered in Colorado, USA, and the UK subsidiary has operated since 2022.
Orbit Fab has already achieved several industrial firsts, including resupplying the International Space Station, developing the only commercially available refuelling valve approved by the US Space Force, and securing technology flight opportunities on multiple upcoming missions over the next several years. These milestones underscore Orbit Fab’s ability in advancing a reusable, resilient, and sustainable orbital economy.
The RAFTI™ (Rapidly Attachable Fluid Transfer Interface) is the Space industry-standard satellite refuelling interface. RAFTI is an open-license cooperative docking and refuelling interface that replaces every satellite’s fill and drain valve to enable on-orbit and ground refuelling.
About ESA’s ARTES Core Competitiveness programme
The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space, coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its Member States to conduct space programmes and activities. The Core Competitiveness programme line of ESA’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) provides funding and multi-disciplinary expertise to enhance competitiveness in satellite communications. It supports specific activities carried out by SMEs, large industrial consortia and research organisations aimed at developing innovative products and services that strengthen Europe and Canada’s position as global leaders in the satcom market. Through its two components, ARTES Advanced Technology and ARTES Competitiveness and Growth, this programme enables organisations to transform promising concepts into market-ready solutions, covering the entire development cycle.
Learn more at https://connectivity.esa.int/core-competitiveness
