Orbital ATK has secured a contract from Intelsat to manufacture a second Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV-2).
The vehicle will be designed to provide life extension services for an Intelsat satellite.
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
As part of the new deal, Orbital ATK will manufacture, test and launch the MEV-2, as well as commence mission extension services, in mid-2020.
Development of the MEV-2 will represent Orbital ATK’s wider plan to set up a fleet of in-orbit servicing vehicles to address multiple space logistics needs, including repair, assembly, refuelling and in-space transportation.
The company is also involved in the production of the first MEV-1 commercial in-space satellite servicing system for Intelsat, with a launch date scheduled for late this year.
Orbital ATK Space Logistics subsidiary president Tom Wilson said: “Work on MEV-1 is progressing rapidly toward a late 2018 launch with system-level testing beginning this spring.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalData“With the launch of MEV-2, Orbital ATK will continue to pioneer in-space satellite servicing for commercial operators.
“Intelsat’s commitment to a second MEV demonstrates not only the market demand for our servicing vehicles but also the customer’s confidence in our product.”
The MEV is based on Orbital ATK’s GEOStar spacecraft platform and controlled by the company’s satellite operations team.
With a lifespan of 15 years, the vehicle employs a low-risk docking system that attaches to existing features on a customer’s satellite and provides life-extending services by taking over the orbit maintenance and attitude control functions of the client’s spacecraft.
The MEV is also capable of performing various dockings and repositionings during its lifetime.
