Yesterday at the 2013 Summit for Satellite Financing conference in Paris France Skycorp Incorporated (Skycorp) introduces the Spacecraft End of Life Service SELTS. The purpose of the SELTS vehicle is to provide reorbit services to GEO satellites at the end of their useful fuel life.
The SELTS accomplishes this by mechanically docking with a GEO satellite. The docking mechanism is a simple mechanical interface, similar to a tug guiding a larger ship at sea. A Xenon fueled solar electric propulsion system then transfers the satellite to the graveyard orbit 300 km above GEO.
Skycorp founder and CEO Dennis Wingo states; “The SELTS design provides up to fifteen graveyard transfers over a three year operating life. The design has matured and we can now provide firm fixed pricing for our services”. SELTS construction will begin after ten reservations for the service are secured.
Pricing for a single graveyard mission for satellite up to 2500 kg is $5.85m.
Pricing for a single graveyard mission for a satellite up to 3500kg is $7.85m.
Fleet management services are available for larger operators.
Dead or crippled satellite rescue and removal services can be provided as well as GEO satellite repositioning services for reasonable prices.
Skycorp is continuously working to lower the cost of the concept of GEO spacecraft on orbit servicing. Skycorp has a global patent portfolio for this concept (U.S. patent 6,945,500, E.U. [England, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands], EP1654159B1, and Hong Kong HK1091789). The first available mission for the SELTS is in the summer of 2016. Skycorp is working closely with the insurance underwriter community to bring this new capability to market, which will improve satellite operator margins and reduce losses in the space insurance sector.
Source: Skycorp Incorporated, Mountain View California, 94041
