Boeing officials say the company’s Orbital Express system transferred propellant and a battery from one spacecraft to another, “marking industry firsts for the revolutionary system.” The Orbital Express was one of the six spacecraft launched March 8 aboard an Atlas V evolved expendable launch vehicle. The Boeing Autonomous Space Transport Robotic Operations (ASTRO) servicing spacecraft transferred the propellant and a battery to a prototype receiving NextSat spacecraft developed by Ball Aerospace.
The KC-Z4, a blended wing body tanker concept being developed by startup JetZero, could fuel larger groups of aircraft at longer range to hold more targets at risk, company officials say.