Satellite servicing is going from the realm of, I wish we could do this, to becoming a reality. That reality includes creating satellite servicing standards.

Today on the SpaceQ podcast we’re starting our annual Summer Series with a podcast on satellite servicing standards.

Tomorrow will see the first launch of a communication satellite with a satellite Mission Extension Vehicle attached to it. The customer is Intelsat and the Mission Extension Vehicle, known as MEV, is built by Northrop Grumman. An MEV has previously flown as a separate demonstration mission. This MEV, MEV-2, will launch attached to the Intelsat 30 satellite and then separate and service the Intelsat 10-02 satellite before moving on to service another customer. You can watch the launch on SpaceQ.

There are several legacy companies looking to garner a share of the satellite servicing market along with a slew of startups. There are many issues facing all those interested in satellite servicing. To work towards technical and safety standards DARPA funded a new organization with that goal.

Today, Brian Weeden, the Executive Director of the Consortium for Execution of Rendezvous and Servicing Operations, known as (CONFERS), provides an in-depth look at what their organization is doing and the challenges ahead. His talk was part of the Future-in-space Operations weekly teleconference series recorded on July 29. I should note that Brian is also the Director of Program Planning for the Secure World Foundation.

Listen in.

CONFERS satellite servicing standards presentation

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