Nearly 20 years ago, two commercial satellites conducted a U.S. government mission that transformed the trajectory of the U.S. space economy. While the 2007 Orbital Express mission may not have the same household name recognition as other space programs, it proved what the entire national space community can achieve through collaboration to develop autonomous in-space servicing.
DARPA and NASA collaborated on that mission to demonstrate safe, cost-effective robotic and autonomous satellite servicing in orbit. For the first time, two vehicles launched in a paired configuration successfully completed multiple in-space servicing demonstration scenarios, including fuel and hardware transfers and multiple rendezvous from both short range and from a distance of more than 400 kilometers.
In-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing (ISAM) capabilities will eventually be crucial enablers of securing and sustaining the future space economy. However, they have not fully matured or become mainstream in the two decades since Orbital Express. Of the several dozen global companies developing ISAM, most are still in development stages. However, a handful are actively deploying services today, and some satellites operating in geostationary orbit feature life-extension modules.
While ISAM capabilities are nascent, they are in growing demand. Satellites are being designed with servicing in mind for longer and evolvable lifecycles. Commercial companies are conducting groundbreaking research in zero gravity. Human and robotic missions are being planned for cislunar space and farther-flung domains, with autonomous refueling and servicing identified as key mission capabilities. To protect and defend all these interests within an increasingly competitive space domain, the U.S. Space Command and other national security entities are emphasizing dynamic space operations, which will rely on in-space servicing.
Each of these communities is pursuing its respective…
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