Satellite Servicing Industry Starting to Address 'Chicken and Egg' Problem, Aerospace Says
Satellite refueling could be routine within a decade, followed by satellites being built for in-orbit servicing of their hardware, reducing the need for launching replacement satellites, Aerospace Corp. said Monday. It said a big barrier to the in-orbit servicing market…
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has been the "chicken and egg" problem of satellite -- the lack of servicing service providers makes satellite operators unwilling to pay for features that would make servicing easier, while companies interested in the servicing business need a big enough market to justify the capital needed to develop the servicers. Aerospace said "rapid progress" is being made in developing the market. It said satellite servicing capability in the next five to 10 years likely will be limited to inspection, orbit modification and maintenance, and refueling, and in-orbit manufacturing and assembly capabilities are likely to follow.