--- title: "New Tech Puts NASA One Step Closer to Fueling Spacecraft in Space" description: "Refuelling in Space NASA’s Robotic Refuelling Mission 3 just successfully demonstrated the first of three tools designed to refuel spacecraft in space, right outside of the International Space Station. NASA’s robotic tools were able to unstow a special adapter that can hold super-cold methane, oxygen or hydrogen, and insert it into a special coupler on […]" date: "2019-08-19" modified: "2019-08-19" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-fueling-stations-space" categories: - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "fuel" - "NASA" - "rocket fueling" - "the digest" --- # New Tech Puts NASA One Step Closer to Fueling Spacecraft in Space ![NASA’s Robotic Refuelling Mission 3 just successfully demonstrated the first of three tools designed to refuel NASA spacecraft in space.]() *\Image: NASA\* ## Refuelling in Space NASA just successfully demonstrated the first of three tools designed to refuel spacecraft in space, right outside of the International Space Station. The space agency's Robotic Refuelling Mission 3 was able to unstow a special adapter that can hold super-cold methane, oxygen or hydrogen, and insert it into a special coupler on a different fuel tank. Future iterations of the system could one day allow us to gas up spacecraft with resources from distant worlds, such as liquid methane as fuel. And that's a big deal, since future space explorations to far away destinations such as the Moon and Mars will rely on our ability to refuel after leaving Earth's gravity. ## Keeping Cold Keeping cryogenic fuel tanks at extremely low temperatures is vital — if the tanks heat up at all, the fuel could boil off and be lost. NASA found that out the hard way in April. The Refuelling Mission hit a major setback when a [hardware issue]() caused the cryogenic tanks to heat up unexpectedly and the gas had to be vented out. Today's news is simply a test of "an initial set of tool operations, bringing the idea of using water ice or methane from other worlds as fuel for spacecraft one step closer to reality," according to [a statement](). **READ MORE:** [Robotic Tool Operations Bring In-Space Refueling Closer to Reality]() \[NASA\] **More on fuel in space:** *[See the Steam-Powered Probe That Could Explore Space]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()