NASA and Eta Space prepare cryogenic fuel technology demonstration

NASA is collaborating with Eta Space of Rockledge, Florida, on the Liquid Oxygen Flight Demonstration, known as LOXSAT, to advance cryogenic fluid management capabilities essential for future deep space missions. The mission aims to validate technologies required for creating in-space propellant depots, which would function as refuelling stations for spacecraft travelling to the Moon, Mars, and other destinations.

Built under a NASA Tipping Point opportunity, the LOXSAT payload has been integrated with a Rocket Lab Photon satellite bus. Rocket Lab will provide both the spacecraft bus and launch services, delivering the mission to low Earth orbit aboard an Electron rocket. The launch is scheduled no earlier than July 17 from Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula.

During the nine-month mission, LOXSAT will demonstrate 11 specific technologies designed to address the challenges of using cryogenic, or super-cold, propellants in microgravity. These tests focus on reducing propellant boil-off, transferring fuel, maintaining tank pressure, and gauging propellant levels. The data collected will directly support the development of infrastructure needed for long-term exploration.

The LOXSAT team comprises members of the Cryogenic Fluid Management Portfolio Project from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, and Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This portfolio is part of NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate and encompasses more than 20 individual technology development activities.

While the mission timeline is set for a nine-month duration, the exact launch date remains subject to change as it is scheduled no earlier than July 17. The specific outcomes of the technology tests are not yet known, pending the successful launch and deployment of the satellite.