satellite servicing
White House releases in-space servicing strategy
A new federal strategy seeks to coordinate activities among agencies and interaction with the private sector to advance work making and repairing spacecraft in space.
Northrop Grumman says customers are ‘lined up’ for on-orbit satellite servicing
SpaceLogistics, a satellite-servicing firm owned by Northrop Grumman, last week successfully fired the electric propulsion system it is developing for the Mission Extension Pods it plans to launch in 2024.
Northrop Grumman to launch new satellite-servicing mission in 2024
SpaceLogistics, a satellite-servicing firm owned by Northrop Grumman, announced Feb. 21 it plans to send to orbit a new servicing vehicle in 2024 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
White House official: Norms needed for ‘satellite to satellite interaction’
Audrey Schaffer, director of space policy at the National Security Council, said an emerging concern is whether there should be a set of rules for satellites that dock with other satellites.
Astroscale raises $109 million Series F round
Astroscale announced Nov. 25 that it raised $109 million from European and Japanese investors in a round it says will allow it to accelerate plans for active debris removal and satellite servicing.
Space Force satellite operators not yet ready to embrace in-orbit servicing
Space Force logistics lead Karl Stolleis said Nov. 16 at the ASCEND conference that the culture of military satellite operators has not yet caught up to the technology now available for in-orbit servicing
Industry group working on satellite servicing standards
A satellite servicing industry group is making progress on a series of standards that it believes can help enable the growth of the nascent field.
Satellite servicing companies see different demand in LEO versus GEO
Developers of satellite servicing technologies expect interest in refueling and life extension to come from customers in geostationary orbit and beyond, while low Earth orbit operators instead seek end-of-life disposal services.
After technical demonstrations, satellite servicing grapples other issues
With the technical feasibility of satellite servicing now being demonstrated, companies and other organizations in the field are now grappling with other issues, from legal and regulatory challenges to the development of standards.
Astroscale complete first test of satellite capture technology
Astroscale has completed the first major test of technology to capture and remove objects in orbit by releasing and then recapturing a small satellite.
Lockheed Martin takes aim at satellite servicing market
Lockheed Martin plans to launch two cubesats later this year to demonstrate how small satellites can service other satellites in orbit.
Startup using Soviet-era technology to build satellite servicing vehicle
Ukrainian startup Kurs Orbital is building an in-orbit servicing vehicle using space docking technology developed decades ago by the former Soviet Union.
Orbit Fab and Benchmark Space Systems to partner on in-space refueling technologies
Two startups are partnering on technology that they hope can jump-start the market for in-space refueling of satellites.
Op-ed | How to convince China and Russia to join a space traffic management program for peace and prosperity
The United States should take the lead in initiating a dual-track approach to developing both a Western and an International space traffic management regime in order to prevent China and Russia from normalizing potent anti-satellite capabilities in the name of debris-removal.
Astroscale announces 2021 Soyuz launch of ELSA-d mission
Astroscale plans to launch the first commercial active debris removal mission, End-of-Life Services by Astroscale-demonstration in March on a Soyuz rocket operated by GK Launch Services from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.
Orbit Fab to launch first fuel tanker in 2021 with Spaceflight
Orbit Fab, a startup preparing to establish fuel depots in space, announced an agreement Nov. 17 with Spaceflight Inc. to send its first microsatellite into orbit in 2021.
New initiative to promote satellite servicing and in-space assembly technologies
A new “national initiative” wants to promote the development of satellite servicing and in-space assembly technologies among U.S. government agencies that have differing views on the value of such capabilities.
Satellite servicing industry seeks interface standards
As another satellite life extension spacecraft is readied for launch, both developers and customers of such systems called for the creation of standard interfaces to support servicing of future spacecraft.
Northrop Grumman “bullish but cautious” about satellite servicing
With the success of its first life extension vehicle and a new DARPA award, Northrop Grumman is cautiously optimistic that demand for satellite servicing will grow.
Xtar, Hisdesat weigh life extension for aging satellites
Xtar may achieve a long-sought goal of adding Asia-Pacific coverage by keeping its pair of aging satellites in service well after their already-ordered replacements launch.
