A useful history from Dennis Wingo, and thoughts on potential competition from DARPA.
6 thoughts on “Orbital Servicing”
Only time will tell if they are going to be successful after a lawsuit between them and their former partners U.S. Space LLC.
That’s a bummer for Orbital ATK and for the industry.
The major competition for servicing Geosynchronous comm satellites on orbit will always be replacement.
A satellite built from space serviceable modules would need to be both larger and heavier than otherwise. If the modules are to be pre-positioned in orbit, then their functionality will have to be frozen. The alternative is greater functionality and more revenue or lower initial cost. The pace of improvement is still too great to make the Checker Cab model attractive.
These are not axioms in physics. That thinking is old space.
The major competition for servicing Geosynchronous comm satellites on orbit will always be replacement.
What do you do with a satellite that can still function but doesn’t have the new tech that your new ones do? Perhaps someone would buy it.
Where would they put it? GEO is valuable real estate.
You might be able to use it as a spare for an older bird that is still in use.
I would think that DARPA’s interest in on-orbit servicing might be more for classified satellites than comsats. The ability to repair/upgrade them much as was done for Hubble has to be a goal for them. Being able to refuel would also be a big win. as it allows more frequent retasking that involves propulsive maneuvers. Doesn’t do much for commercial operators, though.
Only time will tell if they are going to be successful after a lawsuit between them and their former partners U.S. Space LLC.
That’s a bummer for Orbital ATK and for the industry.
The major competition for servicing Geosynchronous comm satellites on orbit will always be replacement.
A satellite built from space serviceable modules would need to be both larger and heavier than otherwise. If the modules are to be pre-positioned in orbit, then their functionality will have to be frozen. The alternative is greater functionality and more revenue or lower initial cost. The pace of improvement is still too great to make the Checker Cab model attractive.
These are not axioms in physics. That thinking is old space.
The major competition for servicing Geosynchronous comm satellites on orbit will always be replacement.
What do you do with a satellite that can still function but doesn’t have the new tech that your new ones do? Perhaps someone would buy it.
Where would they put it? GEO is valuable real estate.
You might be able to use it as a spare for an older bird that is still in use.
I would think that DARPA’s interest in on-orbit servicing might be more for classified satellites than comsats. The ability to repair/upgrade them much as was done for Hubble has to be a goal for them. Being able to refuel would also be a big win. as it allows more frequent retasking that involves propulsive maneuvers. Doesn’t do much for commercial operators, though.