Why We Need Ferries and Tugboats in Space w/ Orbital Operations | E2208

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Nov 13, 2025

Ben Schleuniger, co-founder and CEO of Orbital Operations, discusses groundbreaking advancements in space logistics. He highlights the challenges of moving satellites in increasingly crowded orbits and the critical need for mobility in space. With their innovative cryogenic orbital maneuvering vehicles, like Astraeus, they're tackling space refueling and transportation. Ben also shares insights on the future of reusable rockets, the importance of active refrigeration systems, and the rising demand for commercial space solutions amidst growing defense interests.

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ANECDOTE

Planned 2027 LH2 Storage Demo

Orbital Ops plans a subscale demonstration in early 2027 to be the first to store LH2 in orbit for extended periods.
That demo will use scaled hardware to showcase cryomanagement and some movement capabilities.

INSIGHT

LOIs Validate Early Commercial Demand

Commercial LOIs show demand: Orbital Ops reported $1.4B in LOIs for ferry services, implying multiple ferries will be needed.
With two-month refuels, servicing that backlog requires roughly eight vehicles operating continuously.

ADVICE

Raise For First Operational Vehicle

Plan for substantial Series A capital to reach operational capability; Orbital Ops estimates $150–200M to field a first operational vehicle.
Budget more than a satellite firm but far less than building a full launch vehicle program.

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Today’s show:

Just getting our stuff into orbit isn’t enough… Orbital Operations wants to help companies take things HIGHER.

In today’s TWiST 500 interview, Alex chats with Ben Schleuniger, whose startup Orbital Operations is solving the complexity of space logistics. The advent of reusable rockets has made it easier and cheaper than ever for us to place objects in Low Earth Orbit (or LEO).

But what if we want to reach higher orbits? That’s a much more challenging issue: space is already kind of CROWDED, and not all of our vehicles can carry enough fuel to power them that far out into the cosmos.

Orbital’s fix? Cryogenic orbital maneuvering vehicles (or OMVs) like the Astraeus, which uses hyper-efficient propulsion systems, allowing them to travel further and faster speeds, and even potentially get refueled in orbit.

Learn more about this fascinating tech PLUS we’re looking back at classic Jason interviews with Greg Brockman of OpenAI and Vlad Tenev of Robinhood, AND checking in with Oliver’s latest This Week in AI demo for Character AI’s blockbuster conversational chatbots.

Timestamps:

(02:56) Alex opens the show with Ben Schleuniger, co-founder of space tech startup Orbital Operations

(03:47) Why is movement within orbit such a challenging problem?

(4:28) The key importance of launch vehicle reusability

(07:05) How Orbital’s Astreaus vehicle utilizes cryogenic propellants… and why

(08:49) The secret to keeping those propellants cool

(10:04) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST

(13:57) How Orbital is preparing for their Series A, and how they plan to spend the cash(20:37) Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!

(28:09) TWiST FLASHBACK: Revisiting OpenAI Greg Brockman’s visit from 2018

(31:31) LinkedIn Ads: Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. Launch your first campaign and get $250 FREE when you spend at least $250. Go to http://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups to claim your credit.

(37:57) How GPUs unlocked the AI revolution

(35:02) Tackling early concerns about deepfakes

(41:17) Looking ahead to the dawn of AGI

(50:05) AI DEMO: Oliver stops by to walk us through Character AI’s key features

(50:51) Watch as Oliver simulates a chat with former President Barack Obama

(53:30) How to use ChatGPT to enhance your Character AI prompts

(56:57) TWIST FLASHBACK with Robinhood’s Vlad Tenev from May 2017

(57:14) Back then, Robinhood was valued at a mere $1.3 billion!

(59:21) How Robinhood made financial transactions SO MUCH FASTER than they used to be

(1:00:57) When Robinhood realized they had Product Market Fit… via Hacker News!

(1:06:44) The magic of being better, faster, and cheaper

(1:08:12) This segment was filmed BEFORE Robinhood offered crypto

(1:11: 08) Jason’s Eagle Computer Speech and how to avoid “Taj Mahal Syndrome”

Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com

Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp

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LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm

Thank you to our partners:

Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST

Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!

LinkedIn Ads: Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. Launch your first campaign and get $250 FREE when you spend at least $250. Go to http://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups to claim your credit.