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Argo Space bets on water-derived hydrogen and oxygen for in-orbit transport
Ars Technica reported that SpaceX alumni at Argo Space are building water-splitting spacecraft after a mixed first flight, with two 2027 Chiron missions planned.
Three former SpaceX engineers are building in-space vehicles that start with liquid water, split it with solar power into hydrogen and oxygen, and burn those gases for thrust, Ars Technica reported Tuesday, citing an interview with Argo Space1.
Robert, Ryan and Kirby Carlisle founded Argo in late 2022 to move cargo among low Earth orbit, geostationary orbit and the Moon without relying on Earth-sourced propellant, the report said1. Robert Carlisle told Ars, "We based the company on water"1.
Argo flew its first demonstration, Navigator, in July on a Falcon 9 rideshare, Ars said1. Controllers made contact, but one of two rollout solar arrays did not deploy, the spacecraft stayed power-negative, and the propulsion system was not tested1.
The next vehicle, Chiron, is described as about 200 kilograms1. Argo plans two 2027 flights with payloads for an undisclosed national security customer: one to low Earth orbit and one to geostationary transfer orbit, to show maneuvering between orbital regimes1.
Neither flight is booked on SpaceX, Ars reported, because Falcon 9 commercial slots are scarce on Argo's timeline1. The first Chiron is slated for an undisclosed new commercial rocket and the second for an unspecified government-furnished launcher1.
Argo claims more than 2 km/s of delta-v in that small package, enough in the company's telling to raise a roughly 400-kilometer circular orbit above 5,000 kilometers or to provide decades of geostationary station-keeping1. Water is stored as a dense liquid until needed; gases are held at non-cryogenic conditions1.
Ars noted NASA smallsats demonstrated compact water propulsion in late 2017 and that Momentus has used water for in-space maneuvering1. After Chiron, Argo is designing Argonaut, listed at up to 1,400 kilograms of payload and 17 km/s of delta-v per tank1. In September it signed with ispace to deliver a Lunar Connect relay satellite later this decade, Ars said1.
The company has raised $20 million and has fewer than 30 people, according to Ars1. Kirby Carlisle said spacecraft development needs less ground infrastructure than rockets and that Argo can test most systems in El Segundo, California1.
