Orbit Fab and Thales Alenia Space will work on the project, aimed at studying the possibility of in-orbit refueling of satellites, which use electric traction systems. The research will take place with the support of the Space Agency of Great Britain.
The British company Orbit Fab is developing a commercial refueling service in space, and Thales Alenia Space is one of Europe's largest Franco-Italian satellite manufacturers with facilities in seven countries. 26 May 2026 year, the company reported, which will explore the integration of Orbit Fab's RAFTI refueling interface with Thales Alenia Space's electric propulsion systems, in particular with xenon Hall engines.
For reference: shelf (Rapidly Attachable Fluid Transfer Interface — Rapidly Attachable Fluid Transfer Interface) is a port for docking and fuel transfer, designed to connect satellites to orbital fuel depots or servicing spacecraft for refueling. Orbit Fab is promoting this interface as a standard connection for orbital maintenance missions.
A Hall engine is a type of electrojet space engine, which uses the Hall effect to accelerate gas ions and create jet thrust. It is a type of ion engine and is most often used on modern satellites (including commercial communications satellites from companies such as Thales Alenia Space) for orbit maintenance and interorbital transitions.
The US Space Force has approved RAFTI as an acceptable refueling interface for military satellites and plans to use it in hydrazine transfer demonstrations for chemically powered spacecraft in geostationary orbit.
Orbit Fab stated, that cooperation with Thales Alenia Space is focused on adapting the interface for electric traction systems — the sphere, which is of increasing interest in Europe, as operators look for ways to extend the life of satellites and maintain more maneuverable vehicles. The work will be carried out by the Orbit Fab and Thales Alenia Space teams in the UK as part of a project called the Flat Satellite Stand for Refueling Electric Motor Testing (Refuelable Electric Engine Flatsat). Flatsat is a ground-based spacecraft testbed, which is used to verify satellite subsystems and operational concepts prior to flight hardware. In this case, flatsat will be used to test fuel transfer interfaces, operational procedures and refueling concepts for satellites with electric motors.
Source: https://spacenews.com