iBOSS GmbH
"Driving Flexibility and Sustainability in Space"
Aachen RWTH spin-off making iSSI, a 4-in-1 androgynous interface usable as a robotic end effector or foot (ISS-tested 2022), and the iFEX refuelling port.
iBOSS GmbH is a German space hardware company in Aachen that develops standard interfaces for in-space servicing, assembly and manufacturing (ISAM) and for modular spacecraft. The technology comes from the iBOSS research project at RWTH Aachen University's Institute of Structural Mechanics and Lightweight Design (SLA). The institute has worked on modular satellites in a DLR-funded project since 2010. RWTH filed a patent in 2014, and the technology was commercialised through the spin-off iBOSS GmbH, founded in 2017. The company is registered at the Aachen district court (HRB 21122) and is led by co-founder and CEO Thomas A. Schervan. In 2024 it set up a US affiliate, iBOSS.space US LLC, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The core product is the iSSI (intelligent Space System Interface). It is an androgynous, multi-functional coupling that provides a mechanical connection together with power and data transfer, and its modular design adds thermal, gas and fluid interfaces. iBOSS lists add-on modules for form-fit, thermal transfer, dust protection and ranging. Its features include a bi-directional redundant release mechanism, an anti-intrusion posture, a flat mating surface and a lubricant-free design. The same interface can join spacecraft modules or payloads, act as a robotic end effector or as a foot for walking robots, and serve as a universal ground test port. iSSI hardware flew to the International Space Station on a US cargo mission launched on 19 February 2022. It was connected and disconnected in an external experiment setup on the Japanese Kibo module, and from mid-March 2022 it carried data and power through endurance tests lasting several weeks. iBOSS states that this demonstration reached TRL 7. The Spaceoneers industry directory describes iSSI as patented and in series production.
The second flagship product is iFEX (intelligent Fuel EXchanger). It is an androgynous, flat-faced refuelling interface for multiple propellant types, including liquid and cryogenic fuels. iBOSS unveiled it in 2024 and rates it at TRL 4-5. The company is also developing iBLOCK, a standard functional building block that can house payloads or subsystems, and iSAT, a satellite assembled from two or more iBLOCKs.
In programmes, iBOSS says it is part of four of the six winning consortia of the European Commission's In-Space Operations and Services (ISOS) initiative run by DG DEFIS. Its company timeline lists an ESA ADRIOS RISE milestone, and it cites a planned 2028 GEO servicing mission for ESA led by D-Orbit, as well as a planned 2027 robotic free-flyer ISAM demonstration. Arkisys lists iSSI as the baseline interface for The Port, its servicing platform with a robotic manipulator. iBOSS was a member of the US Space Force-linked Q Station SpaceTech cohort and the NewSpace Nexus Ignitor programme in 2024. It received the European Innovation in Space Award in 2021. The company continues the earlier Space-USB initiative and is a sustaining member of CONFERS, the industry consortium for satellite servicing standards.
For space robotics, iBOSS is relevant as a supplier of standard mechanical, electrical and data interfaces that robotic arms, walking robots and servicer spacecraft use to grasp, connect to and exchange modules on client spacecraft.
Primary type & automation activities this supplier delivers:
iSSI - intelligent Space System Interface
Androgynous 4-in-1 coupling (mechanical, power, data, thermal) usable as a module interface, robotic end effector or foot; demonstrated on the ISS Kibo module in 2022.
iFEX - intelligent Fuel EXchanger
Androgynous, flat-faced in-space refuelling interface for liquid and cryogenic propellants; unveiled in 2024 at TRL 4-5.
iBLOCK - intelligent Functional Building Block
Standard plug-and-play module that houses payloads or subsystems and joins via iSSI to form modular iSAT satellites; in development.
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Contact iBOSS GmbH
WEBSITE
https://www.iboss.spacePHONE
+49 151 10594356HEADQUARTERS
Germany
Company Facts
Founded
2017
Primary Role
Component Supplier
Company Size
-
Primary Region
Europe
Annual Sales
-
Funding Stage
-
Funding Total
-
