LOXSAT
A small NASA-funded satellite that tests how to store and move liquid oxygen in orbit without losing it to boiloff, the groundwork for fuel depots in space.
Why it matters
Missions to the Moon and Mars would be far cheaper if rockets could top up with super-cold propellant in orbit, but those liquids boil away and are hard to handle in zero gravity. LOXSAT gathers the flight data needed to design a real depot.
How the technology works
Eta Space built the cryogenic payload and Rocket Lab integrated it on a Photon spacecraft bus for launch on Electron from New Zealand. NASA says it will demonstrate 11 cryogenic fluid management technologies, covering boiloff control, propellant transfer, tank pressure control and gauging, over a planned nine months in low Earth orbit.