Satellites are expensive to build, expensive to launch, and, until very recently, impossible to refuel. When a satellite runs out of propellant, its life ends, regardless of how much functional hardware remains on board. Orbit Fab wants to change that permanently, building the infrastructure layer that turns orbit into a serviceable, reusable environment rather than a one-way trip. Founded in 2018 by Daniel Faber and Jeremy Schiel in Lafayette, Colorado, Orbit Fab has developed a network of orbital propellant depots and standardized refueling interfaces that work for any spacecraft equipped to receive them. The company closed a $28.5 million Series A in April 2023 and signed a $20 million Series B term sheet with Stride Capital in March 2026, entering a new phase focused on commercial scale rather than technology development. AI-generated image RAFTI (Rapidly Attachable Fluid Transfer Interface), Orbit Fab's standardized refueling port, is designed to replace traditional satellite fill/drain valves. Credit: AI visualization A Trillion-Dollar Asset Class With No Fuel Gauge The commercial satellite industry manages roughly 8,000 operational spacecraft across low Earth orbit, medium Earth orbit, and geostationary orbit. Every one of them carries finite propellant, and the moment that propellant runs out, the spacecraft becomes an inert radio transmitter on a slow march toward becoming debris. Industry estimates suggest the average GEO telecom satellite carries enough fuel for 15 years of station-keeping before it has to be deorbited, but the actual hardware often has a decade of useful operational life remaining in its electronics and transponders. The math has always been brutal. A GEO satellite costs between $300 million and $500 million to build and launch. Losing that asset when the fuel tank hits zero, rather than when the payload electronics fail, represents a colossal waste. Operators have largely accepted it as a cost of doing business in space. Orbit Fab's founders decided that was the wrong answer. The Economic Case A single propellant resupply mission extending a GEO satellite's life by five years can preserve $150 million to $250 million in hardware value. Orbit Fab estimates the total addressable market for satellite servicing exceeds $4 billion annually by 2030, with refueling as the anchor service. Daniel Faber brought more than two decades of space industry experience to the problem. Before founding Orbit Fab, he built and launched satellites for deep space missions, giving him direct knowledge of what it takes to make spacecraft hardware that works in the unforgiving environment beyond Earth's atmosphere. In March 2026, Faber stepped down as CEO to take a board and advisory role as the company transitioned to a commercially focused leadership team. Peter Shaper, an eight-time CEO with deep satellite industry experience, stepped in alongside COO Shawn Hendricks to lead the next phase. 2018 Year Founded $50M+ Total Funding Raised TRL 8 RAFTI Readiness Level 2030 RAVEN + NEST Target Launch RAFTI and GRIP: The Hardware That Makes It Work Orbit Fab's business model depends on two core technologies working together. The first is RAFTI (Rapidly Attachable Fluid Transfer Interface), a standardized refueling port that replaces the traditional fill and drain valves satellites use once, on the ground, before launch. RAFTI is a passive port installed on a spacecraft before it leaves Earth. It can be docked with repeatedly, from any compatible tanker, enabling multiple refueling sessions over a satellite's operational life. The U.S. Space Force formally approved RAFTI as an accepted refueling interface for military satellites in 2024, a significant validation for a technology that needs broad adoption to create the network effects the company is building toward. The approval means new government satellites can be specified with RAFTI ports from the design phase, creating a baseline of refuelable assets in orbit even before commercial operators adopt the standard. An Orbit Fab tanker shuttle approaches a commercial satellite for propellant transfer. The tanker carries GRIP hardware to dock with the satellite's RAFTI port. Credit: AI visualization GRIP (Grappling and Resupply Interface for Products) is the active counterpart to RAFTI. Where RAFTI is the passive port installed on the satellite, GRIP is the active nozzle carried by the tanker spacecraft. It docks with RAFTI to form a secure connection and transfer propellant. Orbit Fab delivered the first flight-qualified GRIP hardware in 2024 following successful ground testing, and the technology achieved flight qualification status in December 2025. Technology Stack • RAFTI: Passive refueling port, TRL 8, open-license design, replaces traditional satellite fill/drain valve. Compatible with multiple propellant types including hydrazine, xenon, nitrous oxide, and ethane. • GRIP: Active docking nozzle on tanker spacecraft. Engages RAFTI port for secure fluid transfer. Flight-qualified 2025. • NEST Depots: On-orbit storage vessels positioned at strategic orbital altitudes. Store larger propellant quantities and resupply RAVEN shuttles for follow-on missions. • RAVEN Shuttle: Mobile tanker vehicle carrying 150-200 kg of propellant per mission. Docks directly with RAFTI-equipped client satellites across multiple orbital regimes. The open-license approach for RAFTI deserves particular attention. Orbit Fab made the interface specification freely available to any spacecraft manufacturer who wants to integrate it, removing the technology licensing barrier that could otherwise slow adoption. The company's revenue comes from selling propellant and refueling services, not from licensing hardware IP. That structural decision mirrors how GPS became a ubiquitous standard: make the interface free, profit from the services built on top of it. RAVEN and NEST: The Full Refueling Architecture, Revealed In April 2026, Orbit Fab unveiled the complete picture of its on-orbit refueling system. RAVEN is the company's refueling shuttle: a mobile spacecraft carrying 150 to 200 kilograms of propellant that can dock directly with any RAFTI-equipped satellite and transfer fuel on demand. NEST is the depot vehicle that holds larger propellant stocks and resupplies RAVEN between customer missions, functioning as the fixed "gas station" while RAVEN acts as the delivery truck. Together, RAVEN and NEST form a distributed logistics network rather than a single refueling event. Multiple NEST depots deployed across different orbital regimes can support RAVEN operations across LEO, MEO, and GEO without requiring a dedicated resupply launch for each customer mission. Orbit Fab plans to launch the first RAVEN and NEST vehicles in 2030, with additional systems to follow as the customer base grows. The RAVEN + NEST Architecture RAVEN carries propellant to client satellites. With capacity for 150-200 kg and full GRIP docking capability, it can serve multiple customers per mission across a range of orbital scenarios. NEST functions as the on-orbit reservoir, stationed at a fixed orbit to receive bulk propellant from Earth and transfer it to RAVEN for distribution. A network of NEST depots enables responsive, scalable fuel delivery without a one-launch-per-mission model. "This is about building the logistics backbone for dynamic operations in space," CEO Peter Shaper said at the April 2026 announcement. "RAVEN and NEST are a major step toward making on-orbit refueling routine, unlocking the maneuverability, endurance, and operational flexibility that will define strategic advantage in space." Government Backing: NASA, ESA, UKSA, and the Space Force Orbit Fab has assembled an unusually strong government contract portfolio for a company its size. The relationships span four distinct space agencies and cover technology development, operational mission planning, and now deep-space infrastructure work, giving the company a credible revenue path that