In-Orbit Servicers Watching U.S. Government Closely for Clues into Eventual Role
The role and interest of the U.S. government in in-orbit servicing of satellites remains a major question as Vivisat and MDA move toward beginning operations, company executives said Wednesday on a SATCON conference panel in New York on extending the life of satellites. While the commercial market is huge, MDA can’t compete with the U.S. government or a government-funded program, said Steve Oldham, president of space infrastructure servicing at MDA. That would put “us out of business,” he said. “We don’t have the size or power” to compete with the government, he said.
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The government was originally considered as a customer as MDA was developing its business case for the program, said Oldham. The company has since had to revise that part of the plan as it became clear that much of the government’s replacement satellite needs are already in the pipeline, he said. NASA has shown some interest in in-orbit servicing, though the specifics of their interest, either as a competitor or customer, is unclear.
Getting the military on-board for in-orbit servicing is a tough sell these days as budget issues have increased scrutiny on new products, said Michael Lakos, chief of the U.S. Air Force MILSATCOM division. The military would likely need to know more about the concept, for instance, how quickly such servicing would be available in an emergency, he said. Starting a new “program of record” is especially tough in this budget climate, during which some existing programs are struggling to stay on the books, he said.
The new ability to “touch” their assets was part of the reason Intelsat General recently contracted with MDA for eventual servicing, said Richard DelBello, Intelsat General vice president-legal and government affairs. The company decided to go with MDA rather than Vivisat because MDA was further along in its development, he said.
MDA and Vivisat have different plans for in-orbit servicing. Vivisat would launch a light, flexible Mission Extension Vehicle, designed for 15 years of orbit, that would attach to a satellite, providing new propulsion. The MEV wouldn’t require an electrical connection or fuel exchange, said Bryan McGuirk, Vivisat chief operating officer. MDA is working on a more robotics-based approach. The MDA vehicle would be launched with a robotic arm and tool caddy, available do a number of tasks and minor repairs.
Both MDA and Vivisat said they're confident in their eventual launch insurability. The Vivisat vehicle is likely comfortable to insurers because of its similarities to a satellite, said McGuirk. The overall insurance market will also likely change in response to the servicing, said Oldham. Today, if a satellite fails on-orbit, it’s considered a total loss and an insurer can’t do much except pay out, he said. With in-orbit servicing, one of these vehicles could provide some new life, potentially for less than an insurance fight, he said. It will take one or two test cases before in-orbit servicing will gain widespread acceptance, said Oldham.