GSFC's Missing Servicing Study Report to Congress (Update)
Servicing Study, GSFC
“From March 24-26, 2010, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) hosted an open international workshop to bring potential users and providers of on-orbit servicing capabilities together with the NASA GSFC Satellite Servicing Study Team. The event workshop drew together 57 individual speakers and over 250 participants from industry, academia, NASA, other agencies, and international organizations. … The servicing mission study activity will result in a report to NASA, and subsequently to Congress, on the results of this workshop together with the integrated results from the servicing study team. The final report to Congress is currently under NASA review.”
Feasibility of Using Constellation Architecture or Robotic Missions for Servicing Existing and Future Spacecraft
“NASA will execute a robust study, led by Goddard Space Flight Center under the direction of the Space Operations Missions Directorate (SOMD). The planning activity began in May 2009 and a final report to Congress is due in September 2010.”
Keith’s note: It has been more than a year since the meeting. The On-Orbit Satellite Servicing Study Project Report was posted recenty (18 June) here. But NASA GSFC never bothered to tell anyone that it had been posted – nor did they bother to link from the page that announced the study. But according to this page “An internal Project Report captures the work performed under the congressional mandate. SSCO’s report to Congress is currently under review.” So they have yet to deliver the report to Congress – and the report was due for delivery 10 months ago.
NASA Defends Satellite Refueling Demo, Space News
“NASA officials said that they have no intention of developing a satellite refueling business to compete with private industry. “NASA managers have met with officials from MDA and Intelsat, who understand that NASA plans to take the RRM hardware to the International Space Station to use as a technology test bed,” NASA spokesman Michael Curie said in an emailed response to questions. “The results of the RRM tests will be shared with everyone, including them. NASA is not doing this to compete with industry. In fact, by conducting these tests on the space station, NASA believes it will help reduce the eventual risk and cost to industry.”
