Is DoD finally warming to satellite services?

For over a decade, the space industry hoped to win the U.S. military as a customer – and hopefully an anchor customer – for refueling and other in-space satellite services. But despite years of effort, including the DARPA-led RSGS program, DoD never showed more than tepid interest buying services from the commercial sector. C4ISRNet reports that the Space Force created a new position, deputy director of operations for servicing and maneuver, last summer, followed shortly after by an industry day to learn more about commercial offerings. This follows Congress’s move to allocate $30 million in the Fiscal 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Act for space mobility and logistics. We find these to be important developments, but won’t put too much emphasis until more significant funding is allocated.

The newfound momentum could be good news for Northrop Grumman with its Mission Extension Vehicles, and OTV startups like Starfish Space that plan to expand into satellite servicing. There exists a countervailing trend, however. DoD’s biggest space push is in the direction of proliferated architectures, exemplified by the Space Development Agency’s PWSA constellation that should eventually number hundreds of small, replaceable satellites. While the government still uses GEO satellites, the argument for their life extension isn’t as strong as it was in past years.

SOURCE: https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/space/2023/02/22/space-force-may-hire-companies-to-service-orbiting-satellites/