OrbitFab Secures $200M to Automate Orbital Refueling Infrastructure by 2027

OrbitFab’s $200 million raise marks a pivotal leap toward turning orbital refueling into a scalable, industrial automation model for long-term space infrastructure.

In a landmark funding round, space logistics startup OrbitFab has raised $200 million to accelerate the deployment of orbital refueling stations by 2027. Backed by SpaceX and several major venture firms, the Colorado-based company is pushing to industrialize one of spaceflight’s most critical bottlenecks—fuel availability in orbit. The startup’s ambition is not simply to service satellites, but to introduce a standardized, automated refueling infrastructure that could define how future space assets are maintained. By building “gas stations in space,” OrbitFab aims to eliminate the single-use limitation of today’s satellites, where a lack of fuel typically signals end-of-life.

What sets this development apart is the company’s move toward scalable automation. OrbitFab’s system envisions autonomous tankers delivering propellant to satellites, spacecraft, and orbital platforms on demand, using standardized docking protocols and robotic interfaces. This model is designed to function with minimal human intervention, allowing the orbital economy to operate more like terrestrial logistics. This industrial automation approach echoes trends in manufacturing and shipping, but applied to space—a domain where delays and manual operations are logistically and financially prohibitive. The funding allows OrbitFab to ramp up production, expand its testing with national space agencies, and lock in long-term servicing agreements with satellite operators.

For the space industry, this marks a turning point. Just as terrestrial infrastructure enabled the aviation boom, an automated in-space refueling network could be the bedrock of sustained satellite constellations, debris cleanup, deep-space missions, and defense surveillance platforms. Startups that position themselves early in the space supply chain will have a competitive edge as orbit becomes less of a destination and more of an industrialized domain. OrbitFab’s model, if successful, may serve as the logistical backbone of a trillion-dollar orbital economy.