On-Orbit Servicing of Department of Defense and National Security Space Assets

Most high-tech systems are designed, constructed, placed into service, and subsequently maintained and upgraded during the course of their operational life. However, satellite systems in geosynchronous orbit (GEO) have historically been inaccessible for on-orbit servicing. Aside from a select group of human spaceflight servicing activities in low earth orbit (LEO), it has not been possible to refuel a satellite, repair or replace a malfunctioning component, upgrade the system with better technology, or even relocate it to a new orbit or GEO slot. In-situ servicing offers the potential to extend the life, and therefore the utility, of satellites operated by NASA, Department of Defense, other government agencies, and commercial companies. There are a variety of potential architecture concepts that can provide on-orbit servicing capabilities. The recent DARPA/NASA Manned Geostationary Servicing (MGS) study focused on options that provide the capability for extended human habitation, providing extensibility from the GEO hardware to future human spaceflight exploration missions. The study defined a minimum set of elements to assemble an architecture in GEO and accomplish the servicing mission. This paper will summarize the results of the MGS study, identify the specific technologies recommended by the MGS study, and evaluate the applicability of these technologies and capabilities to future Department of Defense (DoD) and National Security Space (NSS) missions. The DoD/NSS mission applicability will focus on two areas: 1) using NASA-developed assets at GEO to perform human and robotic servicing of GEO assets, and 2) using DoD/NSS-developed assets in multiple orbits (LEO, MEO, and GEO) to perform robotic servicing missions.