An overview of the office of space flight satellite servicing program plan

Abstract

The NASA Office of Space Flight has established a comprehensive program for the development of satellite servicing tools and techniques. It is founded upon a satellite servicing infrastructure, formulated by analyzing satellite servicing requirements. In addition, this program is Shuttle-based, compatible with the Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle (OMV) and the Space Station, and is capable of meeting the needs of NASA, the Department of Defense, and commercial users of space. The satellite servicing program encompasses four main types of servicing: (1) refueling (or consumable resupply); (2) repairing; (3) retrieving; and (4) retrofitting (or pre-planned product improvement). Innovative studies and development work are being pursued in all of these areas, and flight readiness schedules for satellite servicing hardware and advanced development flight experiments have been established. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the satellite servicing program's evolution, basic assumptions, and content, as well as the current status of its activities.