Orbital Operations is building high-thrust, cryogenic spacecraft designed to move freely in orbit—reshaping how we think about mobility, defense, and logistics in space.
Cofounder & CEO Benjamin Schleuniger joins Initialized Managing Partner Brett Gibson on High Bit to talk about the next generation of spacecraft that will move, refuel, and think for themselves:
- Why satellites need to move — the rise of in-space mobility
- How cryogenic propulsion unlocks long-duration missions
- The refrigeration-cycle tech enabling propellant storage in orbit
- Military and logistics use cases driving demand
- Refueling with water to extend mission life
- The third age of space mobility and what it enables
- How AI and autonomy will power future spacecraft
Chapters
00:00 Intro
01:10 What Orbital Operations is building and why it matters
01:26 Ben’s path: NASA → SpaceX → Relativity
02:17 Why satellites need to move now
04:30 Basics of propulsion and why mobility is limited in space
05:55 Satellites vs rockets: propellant tradeoffs
08:30 Choosing cryogenic propellants and rethinking storage
10:15 The refrigeration-cycle system that makes it possible
17:00 Thermal management and engineering challenges in orbit
22:30 Military and logistics use cases for in-space mobility
25:40 Refueling with water and the future of orbital logistics
27:50 Engineering vs. business challenges of building in space
30:50 Scaling missions and the path to commercial viability
33:30 The third age of space mobility and what comes next
35:20 AI tools in aerospace and autonomy in orbit
Subscribe to *High Bit* for more conversations with technical founders building what’s next, hosted by Brett Gibson of Initialized Capital.
Follow Orbital Operations and Benjamin Schleuniger on X for more:
@OrbitalOps_
@BenSchleuniger
