Momentum builds for GEO satellite servicing
- Caleb Henry
- Feb 18
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 5
Feb 18 - Written by Caleb Henry
Northrop Grumman’s 2017 docking of a Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV-1) with an Intelsat satellite was a watershed moment for in-space life extension, a business idea pursued in fits and starts for the better part of two decades. That momentum appeared to slow again after the docking, with a few government-funded tech builds and three follow-on missions with Intelsat.
A look at the FCC’s Pending Authorization list suggests 2025 and 2026 will be years of new landmark satellite servicing missions that could normalize in-orbit life extension. In the past eight weeks, three companies – Astroscale, Northrop Grumman and Starfish Space – have filed with the telecom regulator for spectrum authorizations covering upcoming missions. They include:
1. The Astroscale Prototype Servicer for Refueling (APS-R) spacecraft, projected to launch in mid-2026, which has two refueling demonstrations for the U.S. Space Force in super-synchronous geostationary orbit. Space Systems Command’s Assured Access to Space (AATS) program is co-funding the vehicle, which the Southwest Research Institute is building. APS-R will transfer hydrazine to client vehicles using interfaces from Orbit Fab.
2. Northrop Grumman’s second mission with MEV-1, this time for Singtel, which has a contract for seven-months of life extension for the Optus-D3 satellite. During the mission, MEV-1 will reduce Optus-D3's orbital inclination, enabling the satellite to save fuel and add an unspecified amount of time to its service life. Northrop Grumman will first drop off Intelsat-901 (with which MEV-1 is docked) in a graveyard orbit, a process expected to take 30 days. Northrop Grumman’s Intelsat contract concludes March 30.
3. Starfish Space’s first commercial servicer, Otter-24A, slated to launch in January 2026. Otter-24A will first practice docking with Intelsat’s ITS-1 spacecraft in a graveyard orbit, before moving onto a life-extension and station-keeping mission for the 15-year-old Intelsat-17 satellite. Starfish also has a $37.5 million STRATFI contract to get an Otter spacecraft into GEO in 2026.
Quilty’s Takeaway:
GEO satellite operators, commercial and government, are finally warming to satellite life extension as a normal service. The lack of new commercial GEO orders (~5 per year average since 2021, excluding small GEOs like Astranis) likely exacerbates this fledgling demand trend as the absence of new capacity increased the value of the old.
