Space Refueling Stations

Having refueling stations in space would allow rockets to launch carrying less fuel, thus increasing the size of the payload that could be carried to orbit, for example. NASA is challenging the private sector to develop fuel depots that could be deployed in space to support deep space missions, allowing ships to take on fuel as needed rather than carry all the required fuel out from Earth. NASA is offering $200 million dollars-- possibly $300 million for a particularly good depot-- to the company that meets the challenge.

The trick to NASA's challenge is that the agency requires the depots must be able to store liquid hydrogen, which is one component of NASA rocket fuel. Fair enough, but hydrogen is only liquid at incredibly low temperatures, so insulating it from solar heat and hot rockets might be the main obstacle to overcome.

The first refueling stations would likely be in low Earth orbit, to support lunar missions, but the concept sees establishing refueling stations everywhere we plan to go in the Solar System as a first step. Therefore, by encouraging refueling station development, NASA is also trying to foster the development of an infrastructure that will support activities in space over the long term.