SSL
![“DARPA and NASA have done [servicing] demonstrations in the past but to get traction for a sustained business is a big deal.”
— Al Tadros, SSL vice president for
space infrastructure and civil space.
Credit: SSL](https://spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/servicing_satellite_NASA-1-300x200.jpg)
SSL aims to parlay NASA, DARPA work into viable in-orbit repair business
SSL is investing in on-orbit servicing because “mission extension is a game changer,” said Michael Gabor, advanced programs director for SSL Government Systems.
How long should a satellite last: five years, ten years, 15, 30?
PASADENA, California — Satellite manufacturers and operators attending the Space Tech Expo here offered contrasting views on how long satellites should continue to work in orbit.
For years, government and commercial operators sought t…
GEO order drought bottoming out, Maxar Technologies says
Maxar Technologies won't have access to the Canadian military's three-satellite Radarsat Constellation Mission (RCM), forcing the company to continue relying on the Radarsat-2 satellite launched in 2007 to support its radar business.
Judge rejects motion to dismiss SSL-Orbital ATK suit
A federal judge denied a motion by Orbital ATK to dismiss a lawsuit filed last year by Space Systems Loral seeking damages for alleged unauthorized access to information about its satellite servicing technologies.
Air Force attempts to bring private-sector investment, innovation to space
Efforts to bring commercial technology into military space programs is good news for the growing population of startups and other businesses that are investing in this sector.
DARPA laying groundwork for growth in-space robotics
The forward-leaning technology arm of the U.S. Defense Department is betting that in just a few years, the business of sending robots to high orbit to repair and refresh satellites will be so successful that the government and the industry should now begin to discuss rules and protocols.
Brazil’s Star One taps SSL for satellite, Arianespace for launch
Brazilian satellite operator Embratel Star One today purchased a multiple-payload telecommunications satellite from Space Systems Loral, reflecting the company’s mixed feelings on adopting high-throughput Ka-band capacity.
MDA closes DigitalGlobe merger, rebrands as Maxar Technologies
MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates completed its $2.4 billion purchase of DigitalGlobe Oct. 5, and will rebrand the combined company as Maxar Technologies.
Air Force exploring ways to protect satellite networks from cyberattacks
The military is confident that its own spacecraft are tightly encrypted and unlikely to be taken down by hackers. It worries, however, about the vulnerability of commercial satellites that host military payloads.
Hispasat’s Amazonas-5 lands at Baikonur for September Proton launch
A satellite that Spanish fleet operator Hispasat ordered in December 2014 largely to replace two Orbital ATK spacecraft has arrived at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a Proton launch in September.
MDA slashes GEO order expectations
Commercial satellite operators will probably order half as many geosynchronous satellites this year than usual, deepening a drought that has affected satellite manufacturers for the past two years, MDA Corp. President and CEO Howard Lance said July 28.
Federal court dismisses Orbital ATK suit over satellite servicing program
A judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Orbital ATK seeking to stop work on a DARPA satellite servicing program, concluding the company’s claims had no basis in federal law.
MDA restarts satellite servicing business with SES as first customer
After scrapping an attempt at a satellite servicing business six years ago, MDA Corp. launched a new venture June 28 to repair and refuel satellites in orbit using a spacecraft it is building for the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
Japan has plans to land astronauts on the moon by 2030 — with a little help from the United States.
It also announced a first customer for that satellite servicing system, with satellite operator SES entering into an agreement for an initial life extension mission with options for future missions.
