What Happened
Commercial Satellite Servicing Demonstrations To Launch Next Year
The US Space Force has announced plans to execute two commercial satellite servicing demonstration missions in 2027, in partnership with Astroscale U.S. and Starfish Space. The missions will evaluate commercial refueling and maneuvering services for high-value defense payloads operating in geosynchronous Earth orbit and low Earth orbit regimes. According to Col. Scott Carstetter, director of servicing, mobility, and logistics at Space Systems Command, the demonstrations will help determine the infrastructure required to support routine servicing and establish the operational conditions where refueling or life extension makes better financial and military sense. This development was reported by Satnews.