Naomi Cooper
Intelsat has signed an agreement with SpaceLogistics, a wholly owned subsidiary of Northrop Grumman, to use the latter’s Mission Extension Vehicles to extend the life of its communication satellites in geosynchronous Earth orbit.
The MEV-2 satellite servicer will remain docked with the Intelsat 10-02 satellite and extend its life for an additional four years until 2030, Northrop said Thursday.
The IS-10-02 satellite, manufactured by Airbus’ defense and space division, has provided media distribution and broadband services to Intelsat customers in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and South America since 2004.
Meanwhile, MEV-1 will relocate and release the Intelsat 901 satellite into the GEO graveyard and provide service for Intelsat’s other satellite programs after completing an initial five-year servicing term.
“As technology pioneers for the in-space servicing industry, our two MEVs have provided a combined seven years of life extension to increase our customer’s satellite lifetime and support our joint commitment to making space sustainable,” said Rob Hauge, president of SpaceLogistics.
Northrop’s MEV platform is designed to extend the operational life of legacy commercial GEO satellites.
