Providing Services to Satellites in Geosynchronous Orbit

摘要

In no other field of human endeavor would a high-technology system worth over $1 billion be left isolated, uninspected, unrepaired, and unmodified for its entire useful life. Terrestrial assets of such great value are frequently upgraded to extend and improve their utility; they are inspected and monitored to detect signs of trouble and the need for repair; and fleet maintenance schedules are implemented to spread the cost of support equipment across multiple units. This is not the case in space and especially geosynchronous orbit (GEO). Every year, approximately 15 commercial communications satellites and one or two government operated satellites, having reached their end of design life, are sent to the graveyard orbit beyond GEO-uninspected, unrepaired, and unmodified-with many of their systems functioning perfectly. Many spacecraft become obsolete during their lifetimes because of the inability to upgrade their capabilities to meet changing markets and missions.