Orbital ATK To Launch First Satellite Life Extension Robot in 2018
Orbital ATK's first customer for its satellite life extension service is Intelsat, Orbital ATK said in a news release Tuesday. Under the service agreement, Orbital ATK said it will make, test and launch a commercial servicing vehicle (CSV), the Mission…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
Extension Vehicle-1 (MEV-1), with it first providing mission extension service for Intelsat in 2019. In a statement, Orbital ATK CEO David Thompson said, “There is a vital need to service fully functional but aging satellites in both commercial and government markets. Backed by our continued investment, today’s announcement signals that we are just getting started in expanding our CSV fleet to provide a diverse array of in-space services in the future.” According to Orbital ATK, MEV-1 will use a docking system to attach to a customer's satellite and take over propulsion and attitude control. The company said MEV-1 has a 15-year design life and is able to do numerous dockings and undockings during that time. The first MEV is scheduled to launch in late 2018, Orbital ATK said. The company didn't identify which Intelsat satellite it would service, but said Intelsat has the option to service multiple satellites using the same MEV.