VACCO Industries Inc has been selected by TRW Space and Electronics, Redondo Beach, Calif.; to supply the Automated Refueling Coupling Assembly for the Orbital Express Program.
Boeing Phantom Works, along with its teammates TRW and Ball Aerospace were selected by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to perform Phase II of the Orbital Express Advanced Technology Demonstration.
The unique Orbital Express advanced technology demonstrator will have the capability to safely and autonomously refuel satellites while on-orbit.
The contractor team will build the Autonomous Space Transfer and Robotic Orbiter satellite (ASTRO), and a surrogate serviceable satellite, NEXTSat/CSC (Next Generation Satellite and Commodities SpaceCraft) and conduct an on-orbit demonstration of autonomous satellite refueling.
Launch is slated for 2005, with routine, cost-effective, autonomous capability for refueling of on-orbit spacecraft planned for the post-2010 timeframe.
TRW will provide the on-orbit fluid transfer system for the ASTRO and NEXTS at spacecraft including the propulsion system for the ASTRO vehicle. As it's teammate, VACCO will provide TRW with the Automated Refueling Coupling Assembly to enable on-orbit refueling of the demonstration vehicles.
"VACCO is excited to be working with TRW on this strategically important program," said Jim Siegfried, Sr. Director of VACCO's Aerospace Products Division.
"It combines VACCO's coupling heritage and mechanism expertise in support of this enabling technology to extend the life of military and commercial space assets."
In addition to the Refueling Coupling, VACCO Industries has been chosen by TRW to provide Latching Isolation Valves and Etched Disc Filters for the fluid systems of both demonstration vehicles
