MOUNTAIN VIEW, California – Satellite-servicing businesses are finally getting off the ground thanks in part to technological innovation and the example set by prime contractor Northrop Grumman. “There is no […]

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Intelsat has signed a deal to use the MEV-2 servicer currently docked with its 10-02 satellite to extend the aging spacecraft’s life by four more years to 2030.

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A robotic servicing vehicle will rendezvous with a military satellite and attach an imaging payload

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Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman, Spacebilt will demonstrate technologies sought by DoD for in-orbit mobility

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A satellite refueling nozzle developed by Northrop Grumman is the first to be selected as a preferred standard for U.S. military satellites.

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Propulsion problems on four satellites using the same kind of power modules are expected to result in at least $50 million in claims for insurers already facing more than $800 million in losses this year following two major spacecraft failures.

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SpaceLogistics announced June 20 it has three confirmed orders for its refueling pods that will fly to orbit on a servicing mission in early 2025.

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Intelsat has ordered one of three fuel pods Northrop Grumman’s in-orbit servicing subsidiary is launching in late 2024 to extend the life of one of its geostationary satellites by at least six years, the operator announced April 13.

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NASA’s plan to spend up to $1 billion on a tug to deorbit the International Space Station is a missed opportunity to instead repurpose or recycle the station, some in industry argue.

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DARPA's RSGS satellite-servicing payload has completed key tests and is on track to be integrated with a Northrop Grumman spacecraft next year and launch to orbit in 2024

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There’s a cloud hanging over the industry in the form of geopolitical tensions over the use of anti-satellite weapons and a lack of clear rules on what constitutes threatening behavior in space, in contrast to peaceful commercial activities.

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A panel of space logistics experts underscored the importance of open standards to encourage the growth of the market.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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How the Pentagon buys launch services in the future could change as the military considers using emerging technologies and services known as “space mobility and logistics.”

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With the first commercial satellite servicing spacecraft about to launch, industry executives argue that government agencies, primarily seen as developers of key servicing technologies, also need to be customers of those systems.

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Orbital ATK subsidiary SpaceLogistics plans to offer customers a wide range of products and services, beginning with its Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) and progressing to in-orbit spacecraft assembly, repair and cis-lunar transportation.

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