Astroscale asks the FCC to license a spacecraft that refuels other satellites in orbit

FCC IBFS · SAT-LOA-20241223-00298 · License application · 2024-12-23

Astroscale wants to refuel satellites in orbit, and its FCC license application spells out the hardware that would do it. The spacecraft, called APS-R (Astroscale Prototype Servicer for Refueling), "will be the first spacecraft to perform cooperative in-space refueling demonstrations with client vehicles in supersynchronous geostationary orbit," the December 23, 2024 filing says. In two planned demonstrations it would both deliver fuel to a prepared client vehicle, CV-1, and take on fuel itself from a separate depot, using docking-and-transfer interfaces supplied by Orbit Fab.

The propellant is hydrazine, carried in a 30 kg tank, and the program is funded: APS-R is under construction on a $25.5 million cost-share contract with the U.S. Space Force's Space Systems Command, with launch expected in mid-2026.

"the first spacecraft to perform cooperative in-space refueling demonstrations with client vehicles in supersynchronous geostationary orbit"

— Astroscale, FCC license application

Sources: FCC IBFS application → · Orbit Sentinel

Filed underIn Orbit ServicingRefuelingAstroscaleGeostationaryFCC

Questions & answers

What is Astroscale applying to do?
To launch and operate APS-R, the Astroscale Prototype Servicer for Refueling, a spacecraft that would perform cooperative in-space refueling demonstrations with client vehicles in supersynchronous geostationary orbit.
How would the demonstration work?
In two planned demonstrations, APS-R would transfer fuel to a prepared client vehicle, CV-1, and take on fuel itself from a separate depot, using docking-and-transfer interfaces supplied by Orbit Fab.
What kind of FCC filing is this, and is it funded?
A satellite license application (SAT-LOA-20241223-00298) filed December 23, 2024 by Astroscale U.S. Inc. The spacecraft is under construction on a $25.5 million cost-share contract with the U.S. Space Force's Space Systems Command.