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
