Cost-benefit analysis of on-orbit satellite servicing

The Spacecraft Modular Architecture Design (SMARD) study evaluated the potential costs and benefits of on-orbit satellite servicing for an existing flight architecture. This paper provides a detailed description of the costing evaluations and results, places the evaluations in context to other alternatives, and suggests future work in this subject area. The study categorized different levels of on-orbit servicing and identified the appropriate solutions for each level. Scheduled servicing as well as on-demand servicing options were evaluated. The costing evaluations were part of a larger study that examined all impacts associated with satellite servicing, including required enabling technology developments, modifications to current satellites, and impacts to existing launch systems infrastructure. Information on these other subject areas is included in the paper.