Orbit Fab’s RAFTI refueling hardware. Photo: Orbit Fab

Orbit Fab has received a critical approval from the U.S. Space Force that its refueling interface is approved for military services. 

The company announced Monday that its RAFTI (Rapidly Attachable Fluid Transfer Interface) refueling port was designated by the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC) as a refueling interface for in-space fueling of military satellites. SSC’s System Engineering Review Board assessed that RAFTI meets the technical qualifications to support a wide range of U.S. government space missions.

“This important thumbs up from the Space Systems Command is a critical step in providing the government and commercial space markets a trusted refueling standard in Orbit Fab’s RAFTI refueling port,” explained Daniel Faber, Orbit Fab CEO. “We are thrilled to be working with SSC and their System Engineering Review Board and look forward to playing an integral role in enabling mission-critical maneuverability and mission extension in space.”

RAFTI will support an upcoming Space Force mission, Tetra-5. Orbit Fab is supplying RAFTI refueling ports to the Space Force Tetra-5 program. During the mission, the Tetra-5 spacecraft will connect with an Orbit Fab-supplied fuel depot. 

Orbit Fab recently completed testing its refueling payload and port and began delivering hardware to customers. The company said it has other yet-to-be-named government and commercial missions that have signed on to use the RAFTI interface.