Spaceium

People ask how a two-person team built flight hardware in five months. Here's the honest answer: we didn't follow the traditional process. Reza and I decided early on. Move fast, iterate constantly, and don't wait for perfect conditions. In space, the standard timeline for flight qualification is 18-24 months. We did it in five. Not by cutting corners, but by cutting bureaucracy.

Refueling transforms space from a series of isolated missions into a dynamic system with: → Longer lifetimes → Dynamic orbits → Evolving missions

Imagine buying a car, driving it to Chicago and then throwing it away because the tank’s empty. It sounds ridiculous, but that’s how space has worked until now. The vast majority of spacecraft are still single-use. They’re launched, they complete their mission and then ... that’s it. They become space junk or burn up on reentry. Not because they’re broken or outdated, but simply because they’ve run out of fuel. Refueling extends range, enables flexibility and lowers the cost of doing business. It’s the infrastructure piece the space economy has been missing... Dig into our vision for the next generation of space travel in my Co-Founder @RezaFetanat’s latest article in @Forbes: forbes.com/councils/forbe… #Spaceium #Sustainability

Unveiling the @SpaceiumInc mission patch…. #MissionNicolo #SpaceX #Transporter15

@RezaFetanat and I didn’t build Spaceium because refueling sounded interesting. We created it because the industry asked for it.  Over and over again, we heard from mission teams that their vehicle capabilities were being compromised by fuel constraints. Operators designing maneuverable spacecraft told us the same thing: they know where they want to go, what they want to accomplish — but fuel limits force trade-offs, capped maneuver profiles, and reduced mission reach. For space to scale, that constraint has to go. We didn't guess. We listened. And that's what moved us forward. @nihalkurth and I dive into our @SpaceiumInc journey to building the most precise robotic actuator in orbit in the latest episode of Deeptech Decoded. Watch our full discussion: youtube.com/watch?v=zB3mQC… #Spaceium #InOrbitRefueling

At @SpaceiumInc we’ve built an actuator to solve a fundamental problem in space: spacecraft should be refueled, not retired. The journey wasn’t easy. No massive team. No multi-year roadmap. Just two founders, working around the clock. It took fast iteration and lean execution; we had to make bold decisions, move without bureaucracy, and stay locked in on our solution. This isn’t just something we’re building. It’s something we’re obsessed with getting right. And in five months, we went from design to orbit – and proved our hardware performs in space. With a verified 0.003° rotation accuracy in orbit, Spaceium is the first to develop and prove this level of precision hardware. We are building the technology that is forming the backbone of future in-space refueling. And we’re just getting started. #Spaceium #SpaceTech #InOrbitRefueling

A major milestone for in-space refueling 🚀 The actuator is a key part of the robotic arm system we’re building to enable in-space refueling. It’s the precision driver – the part that makes sure every small movement is stable and reliable. In orbit, it delivered consistent performance in the harshest conditions: vacuum, radiation, and extreme temperature swings. When paired with a five meter robotic arm, the actuator achieves a level of precision that translates to less than a millimeter of movement at the far end, providing the control needed to gently and accurately align with another spacecraft when it matters most. We’ve now proven that this critical component works exactly as designed, and right where it needs to: in orbit. A system of fully automated service stations in space just got a lot closer. #Spaceium #SpaceTech Read the results of our first demonstration in @SpaceX’s Transporter-15 mission in @Payload: payloadspace.com/spaceium-tests…

It’s official! @SpaceiumInc has just achieved a landmark milestone in space-based technical abilities for in-space refueling.  In just five months, Spaceium flew the most precise robotic actuator ever tested in orbit.  This core technology for refueling infrastructure is over 70x more accurate than the robotic arms currently operating in space and the next crucial step in making in-orbit refueling a reality.   On @SpaceX’s recent Transporter-15 mission, our refueling robotic actuator achieved a verified 0.003° rotation accuracy in orbit, which is less than a millimeter of movement at the end of the robotic arm –  a degree of precise control that has never been demonstrated in space before.  Our actuator allows us to precisely grapple a spacecraft and carry out fuel transfer with unprecedented accuracy.  With this breakthrough that moves in-space refueling from ambition to routine, we’ve proven it works. Now we scale.  Read the full story on our first demonstration in @SpaceNews_Inc: spacenews.com/spaceium-demon… #Spaceium #InOrbitRefueling #SpaceX

Fuel changes everything. Updates coming soon… #InOrbitRefueling #SpaceTech

A year ago we were prototyping out of a laundry room. Now we’re flying hardware. #Spaceium #Spacetech

We built our @SpaceiumInc payload for Mission Nicoló in just five months.  The payload includes robotic actuators, a core enabling technology for in-orbit refueling operations. On Earth, the actuator would be powerful and precise enough to lift the weight of an average human. Vehicles being built today are already anticipating the availability of refueling capabilities. Operations being designed assume mobility is a given, not a scarce resource. With the launch of this mission @SpaceiumInc is proving that refueling is arriving faster than the world expected. #Spaceium #InOrbitRefueling

2024: Funding acquired 2025: First demonstration launched 2026: Redefining in-space refueling Grateful to my Co-Founder @RezaFetanat, our partners, and early believers who made it possible. Onward. #Spaceium

On Friday, November 28 at 10:44 a.m. PT, Falcon 9 launched the Transporter-15 mission to sun-synchronous orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The Transporter-15 mission began deploying its payloads about 55 minutes after liftoff, with the final spacecraft released nearly 2 hours and 45 minutes after liftoff. With the deployment of the first @SpaceiumInc payload in orbit, we are taking a huge step in opening doors to missions unconstrained by fuel, where operators design for what they want to achieve — not what they have to conserve. A heartfelt thank you to the partners who continue to believe in this vision and make progress like this possible: @Initialized, @ycombinator, Zeno Partners, Mergus Ventures, @OliveTreeCap, Crosscourt Ventures, @GaingelsVC, Calm Ventures, @alumniventures, @bhbryant, @NateMatherson, @satpugnet, @JustinHamilton, @a16z scout fund and all the other investors. And thank you @Via_Satellite for including Spaceium in your Transporter-15 coverage: satellitetoday.com/launch/2025/12… #Spaceium #SpaceTech #Startup #SpaceX #InOrbitRefueling (Photo provided by @SpaceX)

Watch Falcon 9 launch the Transporter-15 mission to orbit twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…

At @SpaceiumInc, we began building the foundations of in-orbit refueling just a year and a half ago. In the early days, we bootstrapped everything, working out of a laundry room before securing our first angel investments. That scrappiness became our advantage. Fast-forward through dozens of iterations and prototypes in just five months, and we’ve developed a groundbreaking robotic arm engineered to make in-orbit refueling real. We’re unlocking a step-change in what’s possible for human activity and economics in space. Our iterative, fast-paced approach led us to this first major breakthrough, and it’s only the start. @RezaFetanat and I are just getting warmed up. Onward and upward! #Spaceium #RefuelingTechnology #SpaceInnovation #Startup (Photo provided by SpaceX)

Our first major breakthrough is now in orbit: Spaceium’s advanced robotic arm, built end-to-end by our two-person founding team and led on the engineering front by my amazing Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer @RezaFetanat. Engineered to make in-space refueling practical, precise, and scalable, this actuator is built for: 🛰️ Real operational environments ⛽️Controlled, reliable propellant transfer 🚀 Robust mechanical performance 🌌A pathway to a full orbital fuel-logistics architecture With the @SpaceiumInc robotic arm payload officially in orbit, we’re stepping into a future where space exploration is no longer constrained by fuel. New mission profiles, new orbits, and new possibilities are coming within reach. #Spaceium #RefuelingTechnology #InOrbitRefueling #SpaceInnovation  (Photos provided by SpaceX)

The future we are building at @Spaceium is one where spacecraft don’t retire early, where ambitions aren’t downsized, and where space becomes a domain defined by continuity, capability, and confidence. This week, we've taken a leap towards that future. Thank you @payloadspace for the mention! payloadspace.com/transporter-15… #Spaceium #Payload #SpaceInnovation #InOrbitRefueling

On Friday's @SpaceX Transporter-15 mission — hosted aboard @D_Orbit ’s ION spacecraft — we flew our first in-space demonstration of the core hardware behind our @SpaceiumInc refueling system: a precision robotic actuator built for autonomous propellant transfer in orbit. The Mission Nicoló payload was built in just five months. Designed, engineered, tested, qualified, integrated, and delivered — fast. When you move at the pace the future demands, you don’t wait for perfect conditions. 🚀 You build, you fly, you evolve. This marks the beginning of a scalable system designed to support sustained operations in space — not one-off missions, but an ongoing capacity that may bring us to destinations we’ve not yet reached. Huge thank you to @SpaceX and @D_Orbit - together we are bringing the future of space exploration to the present. Read more about what us gotten us here, to our first mission, in Spaceium’s latest blog post: spaceium.com/spaceiums-orbi… (Photos credits : SpaceX) #Spaceium #Transporter15 #RefuelingTechnology #SpaceX #MissionNicolo

“I think this is clearly a mission need, where we need a lot [refueling services] as rapidly as possible, and that’s my mainline goal.” - Air Force Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy  Fascinating read from @DefenseScoop on plans for in-orbit refueling from Space Force’s RG-XX program - with the introduction of @SpaceiumInc refueling stations, we might be entering a new era of sustainable, agile space operations. I’m excited to see how this evolves, and what opportunities it opens up for both government and the industry.   Stay tuned — Without any further delays, we will have big news to share in the coming weeks...  #Spaceium #InOrbitRefueling #SpaceTech #SpaceInnovation #ComingSoon defensescoop.com/2025/09/24/spa…

Spaceium exists for one reason: to make in-space refueling real. For too long, missions have ended where their fuel ran out. We’re here to change that. Next week (barring any further postponements), we’ll be sharing a MAJOR update — a leap toward fueling the next era of exploration beyond Earth. ➡️ Make sure you're following @SpaceiumInc to catch the big news. #Spaceium #InOrbitRefueling #SpaceTech #SpaceInnovation