In-orbit satellite maintenance is an emerging segment of the space economy that the US military is largely watching from the sidelines. Space powers say they’re ready to play now. According to Spacenews.com, it is investing in early-stage technologies and developing a strategy to get commercial refueling and maintenance services for satellites in fixed orbit by the early 2030s.

The military’s thinking about satellite maintenance has changed from a few years ago, when space operators did not see a compelling use case for in-orbit repair and refueling. This is now seen as a strategic advantage, said General David Thompson, vice president of the Space Operations Department. Thompson said space forces see satellite maintenance and orbital logistics as “core capabilities” and watch the development of a commercial industry.

“We are ready to use this technology as soon as there is a market,” he said at the Space Forces Association event on May 15. Meanwhile, “we have a lot of projects and analysis to do to figure out what makes sense.”

Congress signaled support for this effort by adding $30 million to the Space Force’s 2023 budget for maintenance technologies in orbit. Last year, Thompson instructed Space Systems Command to use the funds to establish a program office and define a procurement strategy for satellite maintenance.

The new office is just getting started, said Major General Stephen Purdy, executive officer of the Assured Space Access program at Space Systems Command. Purdy said military space operators are sending a clear signal of demand for orbital capabilities, and the goal is to create a dedicated budget line for these services.

“It’s a bit of a classic startup dilemma,” he said. Space News Noting that it is known that it is difficult to start new programs in the Ministry of Defense. By the way, “there is a desire to be able to refuel.”

“We need logistics”

Lieutenant General John Shaw, deputy commander of the US Space Command, made a strong defense of refueling satellites. In recent industry events, Shaw argued that the way the Department of Defense acquired satellites for decades — without the ability to refuel in orbit — did not allow operators to freely maneuver spacecraft in response to threats.

Shaw likened it to buying a car with a tank of fuel that lasts for the life of the car.

“We need to have logistics and maintenance capabilities in orbit,” Shaw said at a space symposium in April.

Space Command, for example, uses “neighborhood surveillance” satellites, known as GSSAP (Geosynchronous Space Situational Information Program), to monitor the stationary belt where the military has placed its most valuable assets. GSSAPs are built to last for decades, but maneuvers must be carefully planned to minimize fuel consumption.

“If I had the opportunity to refuel GSSAP on a regular basis, do you think we would work with them as we are today? We wouldn’t do that,” Shaw said. “We would travel the world. We would try to unbalance a potential competitor.”

Purdy said the message was heard loud and clear.

“We can’t fight in space if it means running out of fuel two years early, if we have to measure every drop of fuel and decide if you really want to do this mission,” he said.

Ongoing projects

Purdy appointed Colonel Meredith Begg to head the new Space Force office dealing with space mobility and logistics.

“Our goal is to make sure we can provide this capability that the combat commander requires,” Begg said. Space News. “We don’t have a defined budget yet. But we are working on the institutional process to determine how that should be,” he said.

Satellite maintenance is part of a larger activity known as ISAM for maintenance, assembly and production in space. Begg said the Space Force is interested in ISAM, but its main focus is on mobility and maneuverability. Refueling is “nearest need”.

These technologies are also being developed by Space Force under the Orbital Prime program for small businesses. Launched in 2021, Orbital Prime has signed nearly 125 R&D contracts with industry and academia teams.

Other than the Space Force, other organizations that fund orbital satellite maintenance programs include the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Defense Innovation Division. Beg noted that today the most important investments come from the private sector. “We want to use all that hard work and intellectual talent to truly enable our warriors.”

Of the $30 million added by Congress in 2023, $26 million will go to projects managed by the Space Enterprise Consortium, the Space Systems Command organization that works with start-ups and commercial space companies.

In June, the SpEC consortium plans to invite bids for a prototype “to support the development of a robust commercial base capable of providing space mobility and logistics services.” SpEC noted that very few commercial services were available in the draft application. “However, many artists are working to demonstrate the technology.” Proposals are being accepted in four areas: refueling, transportation, maintenance and debris management.

SpEC plans to award one or more contracts for projects to be co-financed, with $26 million from the Space Force budget and $7.8 million from the winning contractors. The development of technologies within the framework of private-public partnerships allows Space Forces to influence the development of commercial technologies.

A gas station demonstration is planned

A long-term acquisition strategy for refueling and other orbital services has yet to be developed, Begg said. The Space Force is funding $50 million experiments like the Tetra-5, co-sponsored by the Defense Innovation Division, to help develop a procurement strategy for in-orbit refueling.

Space Systems Command’s Office of Innovation and Prototyping awarded Orion Space Solutions a contract last summer to develop three small satellites that will dock with a hydrazine store in stable orbit provided by commercial startup Orbit Fab. The experiment is scheduled for 2025.

Colonel Joseph Roth, Director of Prototyping, said the Tetra-5 experiment, if successful, would help build confidence in the technology.

“Colonel Begg and all of us are getting very strong signals from combat units that they want to have in-orbit refueling and logistics capability,” Roth said. “Determining the requirements and budget will take time, but it’s really exciting to see that.”